Snowden Queries Russia for Asylum Angers Obama

Snowden, center, announcing he was renewing his request for asylum in Russia.
NSA leaker Snowden flies to 'third country' via Moscow

Human rights activists who met whistle-blower Edward Snowden at Moscow airport say he has renewed his request for asylum in Russia.

Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch were among those who attended.
RIA Novosti said Snowden, who had previously removed Russia from his list of prospective sanctuaries, told the group he was only renewing the request because the US had blocked his efforts to go to other countries, even threatening to block an aircraft from taking him to Venezuela, for example, according to journalists who spoke with the group.
“I am only in a position to accept Russia’s offer because of my inability to travel,” Snowden was quoted as saying by The New York Times, which spoke with activists who attended the meeting.
“Mr. Snowden could hypothetically stay in Russia if he first, completely stops the activities harming our American partners and US-Russian relations and, second, if he asks for this himself," President Vladimir Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, according to the BBC.
The Guardian reported that Snowden gave the activists a statement that accused the US of waging an “unlawful campaign” to deny him his “right…to asylum.”
Some reports suggested Snowden was only requesting temporary asylum, but even granting that would be a further slap in the face of the Obama administration.
Although it appeared the Obama administration had lowered the profile of the Snowden affair of late, Thursday it made it an international issue again. China was accused of undermining US relations by allowing Snowden to leave Hong Kong and fly to Moscow, where he has been since June 23. The White House criticized Moscow for allowing Friday's meeting to occur.
The criticism came as there were growing signs that the public’s initial acceptance of widespread wiretapping was declining.
NBC reported that a poll by Quinnipiac University found that 55 percent believe Snowden, who revealed the NSA spying, is a whistle-blower. Only 34 percent believe he is a traitor.
It is reported elsewhere on Allvoices today that "two French human rights organizations said they were filing a lawsuit in a Paris court. The court case will explore the role of internet giants such as Google, Microsoft, Yahoo and Facebook in allegedly making user data available to American spy agency the National Security Administration."
Obama himself has indicated that security measures adopted after 9/11 need to be reviewed.
In Washington, the Justice Department announced it was tightening guidelines that must be followed in leak investigations, the Washington Post reported. Media organizations will be notified if a reporter’s records are being sought, which had occurred in the Associated Press with no notice.
Unless a reporter is the subject of a criminal investigation no search warrant may be sought for phone or e-mail records.
Snowden’s revelations have led to disclosures that other countries, including Britain and France, have similar measures in place.
The standard defense has been security officials can be trusted not to abuse the information they gather.
The Obama administration also has been criticized for providing incorrect information that led to a flight carrying the president of Bolivia, Evo Morales, from being forced to land in Austria on a flight home from Moscow. Snowden was not on the plane.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said he had not received the asylum request by Friday. He has vowed Snowden would never be handed over to the US, while also promising he would not be allowed to do any spying.
Obviously, the limits on Snowden’s activity did not include him promoting his cause.
This was the first time he has been seen in the Moscow airport tranzit zone in three weeks.
SOURCE:  http://www.allvoices.com/contributed-news/14978567-snowden-asks-for-asylum-in-russia-again