US Asks Hong Kong to Extradite Leaker in NSA Data Case
By GERRY MULLANY and SCOTT SHANE
Published: June 22, 2013
... For the past week, Mr. Snowden, 30, appears to have been staying in an apartment in Hong Kong’s Western District that is controlled by the Hong Kong government’s security branch, according to a person who has followed the case and spoke on the condition of anonymity. Mr. Snowden appears to have been granted access to the apartment after seeking protection from the Hong Kong police against a possible rendition attempt by the United States, the person said ..
... Hong Kong police officials would not comment on Saturday about Mr. Snowden’s whereabouts ...
If and when the Hong Kong police detain him, Mr. Snowden can then appeal to a magistrate for his release. But he faces another complication: his 90-day tourist visa runs out in mid-August, giving the local authorities another reason to keep him in custody. Should he go to jail, Mr. Snowden would “have slightly greater privileges than prisoners” elsewhere in Hong Kong, said a lawyer with experience in Hong Kong extradition cases, including the choice of Chinese or Western food and access to books — but not to computers ...
Alternatively, Mr. Snowden could apply for asylum. Currently, asylum claims are facing delays of several years in Hong Kong, because they are handled by Hong Kong officials in cooperation with the office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. Nazneen Farooqi, a local protection officer with the United Nations refugee agency, suggested last week, without addressing Mr. Snowden’s case directly, that his case would not be fast-tracked should he go this route, since “we prioritize older cases.” And people who make asylum applications can be held in detention for weeks, months or even longer ...
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/23/world/asia/arrest-of-nsa-leaker-seen-as-easier-than-transfer-to-us.html?pagewanted=all&_r=1&
