Russian Foreign Minister: US Demands for Snowden Extradition 'Ungrounded & Unacceptable'

[Hissyspit]

Last edited Tue Jun 25, 2013, 10:54 AM - Edit history (1)

Source: Associated Press / USA Today

The Associated Press @AP 5m
BREAKING: Russian foreign minister says US demands for Snowden's extradition 'ungrounded and unacceptable.'

BBC Breaking News @BBCBreaking 3m
Moscow denies involvement in case of fugitive Edward #Snowden and says he has not entered Russian territory http://bbc.in/136bmaO

RUSSIA REJECTS US DEMAND FOR SNOWDEN'S EXTRADITION

Associated Press
— Jun. 25 5:21 AM EDT

MOSCOW (AP) — Russia's foreign minister has rejected U.S. demands to extradite National Security Agency leaker Edward Snowden, who has apparently stopped in Moscow while trying to evade U.S. justice.

Sergey Lavrov said that Snowden hasn't crossed the Russian border and insisted that Russia has nothing to do with him, his relations with U.S. justice or his travel plans.

Speaking at a news conference Tuesday, he angrily lashed out at the U.S. demands for the extradition and warnings of negative consequences if Moscow fails to comply.

Lavrov said that accusing Russia of "violation of U.S. laws and even some sort of conspiracy" with regard to Snowden is "absolutely ungrounded and unacceptable."


Read more: http://bigstory.ap.org/article/nsa-leakers-global-flight-appears-stalled-now

[Bolo Boffin]

1. He also said Snowden hasn't crossed border into country

Which could mean Snowden's still in the airport or Snowden was never in Russia.

[Hissyspit]

2. I just now listened to that.

Curiouser and curiouser.

[dipsydoodle]

3. Or moved from the airport in a "diplomatic car" to an embassy/consulate

which would mean he hadn't "landed".

[Hissyspit]

5. Good point.

[Bolo Boffin]

15. Yeah, that's true, too.

[kitt6]

4. Obama needs to get out there

and assure The American people that it is not them. This could potentially ruin any change he could even spell! And If he is afraid of someone; turn it over to Joe. God!

[BumRushDaShow]

7. Hyperbole much?

God!

[kitt6]

17. And why would you chose a username

like that? Hyperbole where, what? Our elected President needs to speak to the people about this spying. I do not believe that it's his intended purposes.

[christx30]

21. I think the fact that

he hasn't said anything speaks volumes.
The survaillance state is alive and well.
No one believes any of their lies about the legality or limited scope. It was wrong when Bush did it. It's equally wrong when Obsma does it.
They aren't recording our calls? Then why do they need that huge data center in Utah?

[Summer Hathaway]

6. Gee.

I wonder who benefits from all of this?

[okaawhatever]

8. In other words, Putin wants to negotiate for more goodies. He's probably got a

laundry list of things he wants in exchange. Ahhh, diplomacy at it's best. I wonder how many Russian spies/agents or friends of Putin we have in jail? Maybe Putin will want a guarantee that whatever happens with Syria they'll be able to keep their deep water port there.

[kitt6]

9. Why?

People are going through one of the worst periods since the Great Depression. They have their lives and children to deal with and do not deserve some creepy feeling that they are being spied on.. This is one of those 911 creepy Bush and Cheney scenarios.

[spooky3]

10. Here are claims that he went to Norway & Iceland.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10023089825

[Hissyspit]

13. Birgitta Jónsdóttir ‏@birgittaj 10m #Snowden is as far as i know still in #Moscow - the news about h

Birgitta Jónsdóttir ?@birgittaj 10m

#Snowden is as far as i know still in #Moscow - the news about him being in #Oslo is due to a VERY bad translation from #Norwegian #Iceland

[ReRe]

11. "Hasn't crossed the border..."

...Hmmm. I heard on CBS news while ago that Assange says he knows where he is and he is safe. Is the "world" taking care of Snowden? Thanks for the update.

[Berlum]

12. "See you Syria, Uncle Sam." - Pootie Poot

Kerry: US, Russia Not Going to Back off Helping Rivals in Syrian War

June 23, 2013

DOHA, QATAR — The United States and Russia back opposing sides in Syria's civil war. But they say they are also working together to organize a transitional authority to end the fighting.

The Obama administration's decision to arm Syrian rebels heightens its differences with Russia, which continues to sell weapons to the government in Damascus.

http://www.voanews.com/content/kerry-us-russia-not-going-to-back-off-helping-rivals-in-syrian-war/1687515.html

[AnnieK401]

14. I don't care what you think about Snowden or the NSA -

This could get very ugly very quickly. This is not good.

[A Simple Game]

16. Wow who knew Russia was racist? n/t

[penndragon69]

18. They want all the secrets

that snowden is carrying, period.

[Hissyspit]

22. Assange says he isn't carrying them:

http://mobile.slate.com/blogs/the_slatest/2013/06/24/julian_assange_edward_snowden_is_not_a_traitor.html

[Iliyah]

19. Powers talking shit to each is

not unusual. By Snowden hiding in Hong Kong and China allowing him to travel to Russia and hearing that Russia will interrogate him, I'm pretty sure Snowden is not happy camper. Hopefully Rand Paul's warning to Snowden will somehow get to him about not giving information to Russia but alas I find it quite unpleasant that China and now Russia are enjoying their political advantage at this point in time.

Also, known fact, China is not a democracy and Russia may have potential of becoming one. For China to stress 'FREEDOM" to the US is absurd, same with Russia.

[caseymoz]

25. I think you're wrong.

I think the rest of the world is lining up to regard Snowden as a hero. Not just Russia and China, either. Most of Europe is coming to regard him that way. It doesn't matter if you think they're hypocritical, they are very pissed at us. They will line up behind Russia and China on this even if they pretend they're not.

Also, the guy was only in his position for three months. I really think whatever he has to offer has already been given to somebody. If he accessed more without getting out of his probationary period, our Intelligence services are run by idiots, right to the top.

Don't hold your breath. I don't think we're going to get him back; I don't think anyone is going to tell us where he is. He's in the world's Witness Protection Program now, made just to protect Whistle Blowers from the US.

And I don't think he's going to be the last whistle blower who's going to do this. Infrastructure is being laid to facilitate this very same process.

Our intelligence services have screwed us so badly. Thanks to George W. Bush and Barrack Obama, with a special award to Dick "the Dick" Cheney.

With the world standing against us, we have screwed ourselves badly.

[magical thyme]

20. since Ecuador gave Snowden traveling papers

for all we know, Wiki could have chartered a private flight somewhere else. So he could be any number of places right now. Except landed in Russia.

The US.gov looks totally ridiculous, but really its our own doing. We're yelling jump and expecting them to ask how high. Instead, they shrug and blow us off. Our government has acted like a bunch of arrogant, self-important, authoritarian assholes on power trips, all on our dime and in our name. Overdue for a comedown. Really, our government has been begging for it for decades.

I'm enjoying this. I can't afford to go to the movies, what with the new economy. This is better than any $8 flick anyway.

[hack89]

23. Has the Ecuadorian governement actually confirmed that?

all I can find is a statement from Assange.

[magical thyme]

27. I read it in a number of places yesterday, although it may have originated with Assange

I don't remember now. I was at work, though, so the sources were mostly msm.

[Bosonic]

24. No need to escalate 'confrontation with Russia' over Snowden: Kerry

No need to escalate 'confrontation with Russia' over Snowden: Kerry

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said on Tuesday there was no need to raise the level of confrontation with Russia over Edward Snowden, a former U.S. spy agency contractor charged with disclosing secret surveillance programs and believed to be in Moscow.

Snowden left Hong Kong for Moscow on Sunday. Kerry, speaking at a news conference in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, added that he hoped Russia would not see its interests in siding with a fugitive from justice.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/06/25/us-snowden-usa-idUSBRE95O0QO20130625?feedType=RSS&feedName=topNews&utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter&dlvrit=992637

[reorg]

26. Well, let's hope the US would not see its interests in siding with

terrorists intervening in Syria and financed by Saudi Arabia, Quatar and who knows else, Mr Kerry.

[reorg]

28. what the Russian minister perhaps doesn't know

is that in the US every single transit passenger, regardless how long they stay (in my case about half an hour after waiting in the line for an hour or so), is forced to formally "enter" the country. With fingerprints, photo taken, nonsensical questions asked and being adamant about it ("Where are you going?" - "Mexico". "How long are you planning to stay in the US?" - "About half an hour". - "What is the purpose of your stay?" - "...?", and so forth).

Elsewhere, like in Moscow apparently, you're in No Man's Land while in the transit area. You don't cross the border. You don't enter the country, unless you get a daypass or something.

[Catherina]

30. The US however should know that since it was the US that broke ranks with that accepted practice

I'm amazed watching all the least untruthful statements coming from the US. The one that bothered me the most was the whining that we sent them back 7 criminals but with no mention of all the Russians whose rights we've violated all over the world, even going as far as illegally extraditing them from other countries. Like Vladimir Zdorovenin who was extradited from Switzerland in 2012 on cybercrimes charges to the US. Russia protested very strongly about that and we thumbed our collective nose at them. Or Viktor Bout who we illegally had extradited from Thailand because he was allegedly arming the rebels in Colombia instead of the right wing paramilitaries we've been backing. Bout is spending 25 years in a US prison while the Justice Department denies Russia's requests to extradite him back to his home country. There are several more high-profile cases like this. From a Russian point of view, they owe the US no favors but our media won't touch those stories now. Is no one in the government capable of understanding and sparing themselves international embarrassment? This all stems from our disregard for laws and citizen rights, including other nation's laws and their citizens, exactly what this mess is all about.

[L0oniX]

29. +1 for Russia. "evade U.S. justice" more like ...evade US torture chamber ...and kangaroo court.

No offence to kangaroos intended.