American intelligence whistleblower Edward Snowden has secretly met with other former US security authorities who have joined the campaign against abusing state secrecy, WikiLeaks whistleblower website reports.
The secret meeting on Wednesday was held in Russian capital Moscow, where Snowden was joined by former American intelligence officials from the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), National Security Agency (NSA), the FBI, the Department of Justice, as well as WikiLeaks representative Sarah Harrison, RIA Novosti reported Thursday, citing the website that has played a leading role in recent years for disclosing top-secret US military and diplomatic data, demonstrating Washingtonâ„¢s abusive conduct.
According to the report, WikiLeaks tweeted a link to a getyimages photograph, showing Snowden and Harrison with a group of other Americans, identified as US government whistleblowers that travelled to Moscow to present the NSA leaker with the Sam Adams Associates for Integrity in Intelligence award.
Those in attendance were Coleen Rowley, Thomas Drake, Jesselyn Radack, and Ray McGovern, who formerly held top positions in the American government with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), NSA, Department of Justice and the CIA, respectively.
Following the event, the four participated in an interview with the Moscow-based RT television news network.
Snowden, a contracted computer specialist that used to work for both the CIA and NSA spy agencies, was the focus of international attention over the past summer after leaking classified documents on US governmentâ„¢s massive electronic spying operations within its own borders and across the globe.
He then sought political asylum in Hong Kong, which refused the bid, and then flew to Moscow, where he was eventually granted a temporary political asylum in Russia in July despite repeated Washington demands for his extradition.
Meanwhile, the American whistleblowers all praised Snowden for his brave efforts.
While Radack said Snowden Å“looked great … very centered and brilliant,” McGovern described him as Å“an extraordinary person” who Å“has made his peace with what he did, is convinced that what he did was right,” and is ready to face Å“whatever the future holds for him.”
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has disclosed in a Thursday interview that his group has played an active role in helping Snowden find countries that would grant him political asylum.
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Copyright: Press TV