WikiLeaks: Snowden going to Ecuador to seek asylum

[Omaha Steve]

Source: AP-Excite

By PHILIP ELLIOTT

WASHINGTON (AP) - Admitted leaker Edward Snowden took flight Sunday in evasion of U.S. authorities, seeking asylum in Ecuador and leaving the Obama administration scrambling to determine its next step in what became a game of diplomatic cat-and-mouse.

The former National Security Agency contractor and CIA technician fled Hong Kong and arrived at the Moscow airport, where he planned to spend the night before boarding an Aeroflot flight to Cuba. Ecuador's Foreign Minister Ricardo Patino said his government received an asylum request from Snowden, and the anti-secrecy group WikiLeaks said it would help him.

"He goes to the very countries that have, at best, very tense relationships with the United States," said Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, R-Fla., adding that she feared Snowden would trade more U.S. secrets for asylum. "This is not going to play out well for the national security interests of the United States."

The move left the U.S. with limited options as Snowden's itinerary took him on a tour of what many see as anti-American capitals. Ecuador in particular has rejected the United States' previous efforts at cooperation, and has been helping WikiLeaks founder, Julian Assange, avoid prosecution by allowing him to stay at its embassy in London.

FULL story at link.


Read more: http://apnews.excite.com/article/20130623/DA73N2IG0.html

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A TV screen shows a news report of Edward Snowden, a former CIA employee who leaked top-secret documents about sweeping U.S. surveillance programs, at a shopping mall in Hong Kong Sunday, June 23, 2013. The former National Security Agency contractor wanted by the United States for revealing two highly classified surveillance programs has been allowed to leave for a "third country" because a U.S. extradition request did not fully comply with Hong Kong law, the territory's government said Sunday. (AP Photo/Vincent Yu)

[Hissyspit]

1. @GregMitch: NYT just posted interview with Assange--says Ecuador issued key travel doc long ago

@GregMitch: NYT just posted interview with Assange--says Ecuador issued key travel doc long ago, last Monday. http://t.co/GugWe8PyU4

[Demeter]

2. This is far more entertaining than Where's Waldo

I suspect that Anonymous are greatly enjoying this.

I'll believe it when it happens, not before. Meanwhile, there's too much scrambled egg on a lot of military heads, and a President who's had the experience of being "droned", if only digitally.

[Ash_F]

3. I think Ecuador is a risky choice.

The right wing military establishment there has been known to take the law into their own hands, despite what Ecuadorian law says.

[Cha]

4. China was happy he stopped there..

keep running Leaker man until you land in that safe comfy spot you're looking for.

And, Matt Drudge among others is cheering Putin on now.. Yay. Go Russia Go China bad USA. Not.

GOPathetic @GOPathetic

So, Matt @Drudge is now rooting for Putin over his own country. Keep it classy. https://twitter.com/drudge/status https://twitter.com/drudge/status/348812517356748800

http://theobamadiary.com/2013/06/23/rise-and-shine-535/#comments

[Cha]

5. Oh my.. Good ol fucking Ecuador.. nice place to hide. not.

Ｇｕｓ @Gus_802

Ecuador: Pres. Correa says he won't allow marriage or adoption rights for gays and will veto any gender identity laws

•He denied his government was pushing for marriage equality and highlighted the constitutional ban he once called unnecessary saying that no other type of partnership could ever be considered a marriage except for that between a man and a woman.

•He acknowledged there were current efforts in the national assembly to pass a gender identity law but mocked the legislator introducing the bill and promised to veto the bill if it ever reached his desk.

The shock and disappointment among leading Ecuadorian LGBT rights advocates was palpable on the social networks and many took to Twitter to demand an explanation from Correa on the eve of his inauguration.

http://blabbeando.blogspot.com/2013/05/ecuador-no-to-marriage-equality-no-to.html?spref=tw …

http://theobamadiary.com/2013/06/23/i-dare-not-linger-for-my-long-walk-is-not-ended/

[sheshe2]

6. Man on the run!

"I am very worried about what else he has," said Rep. Loretta Sanchez, a California Democrat who sits on the House Homeland Security Committee.

Sen. Dianne Feinstein, the chairwoman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said she had been told Snowden had perhaps more than 200 sensitive documents.

http://apnews.excite.com/article/20130623/DA73N2IG0.html

All this hair on fire, yet so many do not seem to be upset that Snowden has in his hands, highly classified documents! Documents that could be a threat to our national security!

Go figure, Cha.

[Cha]

8. Same with Manning.. with his "hero" worshippers.. don't care

about the harm he did to those whose lives and families were in danger. Only that he downloaded and leaked a crap load of classified documents and gave it to Leakers R Us without knowing shit about what was in there.

Only maybe Snowden knows.. he just doesn't give a shite.. as along as he has a comfy place to hide. But, in Ecuador? Freaking hypocrite.

Sam Stein ✔ @samsteinhp

Stephanie Cutter says al Qaeda is "passing around" Edward Snowden's power points.

http://theobamadiary.com/2013/06/23/chat-away-181/

[msanthrope]

7. Check out this article from last year..wikileaks, ecuador and belarus..

http://m.aljazeera.com/story/20129410312450511

[Cha]

9. thank you for the link, msanthrope..

Meanwhile back in Ecuador, the country's indigenous movement - which accuses Rafael Correa of wantonly opening lands to oil and mineral interests even while assuming a populist posture-saw an element of hypocrisy in the granting of asylum to Assange. "Democracy should begin at home and cannot be reduced to a discourse for the juncture," said Gerardo Jumí Tapias, leader of the Andean Coordinator of Indigenous Organisations (CAOI), adding that protection of free expression should apply to all citizens, not just a high-profile foreigner.

A final irony is that some of the very cables released by WikiLeaks portray Correa's Ecuador in an unfavourable light. One 2009 cable from the US embassy in Quito noted the government's seizure of control over private TV stations and the proliferation of " 'public' media outlets that... in practice mainly report favourably on government actions... Taken together, President Correa's actions and the provisions of the new constitution present a serious challenge to Ecuadorian media and freedom of the press."

Of course, Assange would want to go to the Ecuadorian embassy and Snowden would seek out Ecuador for a hiding place.