EDWARD SNOWDEN IS GRANTED PERMANENT RESIDENCY IN RUSSIA

Originally published in October 2020

Edward Snowden leaked classified documents about a US government mass-surveillance program in 2013. Photo: CNN

Thirty-seven-year-old American intelligence contractor Edward Snowden has been granted permanent residency in Russia as of Oct. 23. Snowden’s lawyer, Anatoly Kucherena, shared the news with the state-run news agency, RIA Novosti, as well as in a Facebook post on Oct. 2.

Snowden escaped to Moscow in 2013 after exposing National Security Agency documents that revealed a mass surveillance program run by the United States government. He was granted asylum in Russia and issued a three-year extension on his residency permit in 2017. His lawyer Mr. Kucherena, who is also the chairman of the Public Chamber of Russian Interior Ministry, stated that a change to Russian immigration law in 2019 enabled Snowden’s application for permanent residency, which he submitted in April this year. There was a delay in the processing of Mr. Snowden’s documents due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In September 2019, Snowden released a memoir detailing his decision to come forward with top-secret information in 2013 and his life in Russia since. He writes of his experience learning to speak the Russian language and figuring out his relationship with his American girlfriend (now wife) after going into exile.

At present, Snowden stands accused of espionage and theft of the government documents that he leaked. In 2016, Congress released a report stating that Snowden had had contact with Russian intelligence. Both the Democratic and Republican party have expressed belief in Snowden’s involvement with Russian agents; he has denied such accusations.

In light of recent events, Kucherena received questions regarding whether his client expects to apply for Russian citizenship, and in response, has denied the possibility. Instead, Snowden’s end goal is to return to the United States, contingent on receiving a fair trial.

President Donald Trump has said that he will take a “very good look” at a possible pardon for the former intelligence contractor. Snowden told the German newspaper Die Zeit that he sees this as an encouraging sign of being in the “early phase” of returning to the United States.