{"id":50029,"date":"2013-07-13T12:39:41","date_gmt":"2013-07-13T11:39:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/rinf.com\/alt-news\/breaking-news\/obama-blocks-eric-snowdens-asylum-blocked-at-moscow-airport\/50029\/"},"modified":"2013-07-13T12:39:41","modified_gmt":"2013-07-13T11:39:41","slug":"obama-blocks-eric-snowdens-asylum-blocked-at-moscow-airport","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/rinf.com\/alt-news\/breaking-news\/obama-blocks-eric-snowdens-asylum-blocked-at-moscow-airport\/","title":{"rendered":"Obama Blocks Eric Snowden\u2019s Asylum: Blocked at Moscow Airport"},"content":{"rendered":"

On July 12, Russia Today <\/span><\/a>(RT) headlined \u201cUS \u2018blocks my asylum:\u2019 Snowden human rights activists to airport meeting,\u201d saying:<\/p>\n

Snowden remains stuck. He\u2019s in limbo. He\u2019s at Moscow\u2019s Sheremetyevo Airport. He\u2019s in its transit area. A source told Interfax he\u2019ll meet with human rights organizations late Friday.<\/p>\n

Airport spokeswoman Anna Zakharenkova said she \u201ccan confirm that such a meeting will take place.\u201d<\/p>\n

Snowden invited a UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) representative, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, Transparency International and Poland\u2019s Krido Legal. Moscow officials weren\u2019t asked to come.<\/p>\n

Russia\u2019s human rights commissioner Vladimir Lukin said he\u2019s willing to meet with Snowden. \u201cI want to hear him out and then think what should be done,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cI think international organizations should take up this question. Snowden now is clearly in the situation of being a refugee from his country.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

He \u201cwishes to express his thoughts on the US campaign for his capture that has put other passengers heading to Latin America at risk as a result.\u201d<\/p>\n

Snowden\u2019s letter to human rights groups said:<\/p>\n

\u201cI have been extremely fortunate to enjoy and accept many offers of support and asylum from brave countries around the world. These nations have my gratitude.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cUnfortunately, in recent weeks we have witnessed an unlawful campaign by officials in the US government to deny my right to seek and enjoy this asylum under Article 14 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe scale of threatening behavior is without precedent: never before in history have states conspired to force to the ground a sovereign President\u2019s plane to effect a search for a political refugee.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThis dangerous escalation represents a threat not just to the dignity of Latin America or my own personal security, but to the basic right shared by every living person to live free from persecution.\u201d<\/p>\n

UNHCR, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and Transparency International confirmed receipt of Snowden\u2019s letter.<\/p>\n

AI Russia head Sergei Nikitin said:<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, I have received a brief email. It said that he would like to meet with a representative of a human rights organisation \u2014 there was not much information there. I\u2019m planning to go.\u201d<\/p>\n

UNHCR\u2019s Galina Negrustuyeva said she\u2019s undecided. HRW\u2019s Tanya Lokshina was dismissive. She\u2019s uncertain about the authenticity of his email. She called it \u201cvery awkward, very strange.\u201d<\/p>\n

Snowden confirmed Friday\u2019s meeting. It\u2019s closed to the press. He\u2019ll say more later. He\u2019ll do so publicly. He\u2019s got plenty on his mind to relate. Millions worldwide await his comments.<\/p>\n

Human rights lawyer Anatoly Kucherena told RT:<\/p>\n

\u201cThe way that US authorities are treating the situation is cynical. How can one take away a person\u2019s passport and deprive him of citizenship?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThis isolation, the impossibility to leave, could be equaled with arrest. I understand his plight as a professional lawyer, as a professional attorney.\u201d<\/p>\n

Following Snowden\u2019s meeting with human rights groups, Russia Today<\/span><\/a> headlined \u201cSnowden wants asylum in Russia, ready to meet condition not to damage US.\u201d<\/div>\n

He\u2019s concerned about flying to Latin America safely. He believes his job is done. He asked human rights representatives \u201cto petition the US and European states not to interfere with his asylum process.\u201d<\/p>\n

He asked Vladimir Putin to intervene on his behalf. According to Duma MP Vyacheslav Nokonov, he \u201cdoes not intend to harm the US in the future.\u201d<\/p>\n

He told human rights representatives \u201c(n)o actions (he took) or plan are meant to harm the US.\u201d He \u201cwant(s) the US to succeed,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

He doesn\u2019t rule out heading to Latin America. Travel dangers prevent him from doing so now.<\/p>\n

According to human rights lawyer Anatoly Kucherena, his Russian asylum request is written. Kucherena said he\u2019ll provide legal support.<\/p>\n

Snowden met with representatives from 13 Russian and international human rights organizations. He called temporary status in airport limbo fine. He knows he can\u2019t stay there forever.<\/p>\n

For now, he feels Russia\u2019s his safest choice. Whether others will be later remain to be seen.<\/p>\n

Moscow\u2019s DUMA speaker Sergei Naryshkin said Snowden deserves asylum in Russia. Itar Tass<\/a> quoted him saying:<\/div>\n

\u201cI assume that there are great risks\u201d he\u2019ll face capital punishment. \u201cWe do not have the right to let that happen.\u201d Russia prohibits it.<\/p>\n

An official and implicit moratorium exists. No one\u2019s been executed since 1996. Doing so inflicts cruel and unusual punishment. America executes prisons assembly line style.<\/p>\n

Russia Today\u2019s given Snowden favorable coverage for weeks. Doing so shows official support.<\/p>\n

Separately, RT headlined<\/a> \u201cMillions in US tax dollars go to Big Data for wiretap capabilities.\u201d<\/div>\n

US telecom and Internet giants profit handsomely. They do so from spying lawlessly on customers.<\/p>\n

Rep. Edward Markey (D-MA) said AT & T charges NSA a $325 \u201cactivation fee.\u201d It does so for each separate wiretap. A daily $10 charge to maintain adds more to bottom line profits.<\/p>\n

Verizon charges $775 for the first month per wiretap \u2014 $500 monthly fees follow.<\/p>\n

Telecom officials claim they\u2019re not involved for profit. Human rights groups think otherwise.<\/p>\n

According to RT, the \u201caverage wiretap\u201d costs US taxpayers \u201c$50,000.\u201d Telecom and Internet giants cash in handsomely. They\u2019ve been doing it for years.<\/p>\n

In 2009, former New York criminal prosecutor John Prather filed suit. He charged several telecom companies with charging exorbitant fees.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey were monstrously more than what the telecoms could ever hope to charge for similar services in an open, competitive market, and the costs charged to the governments by telecoms did not represent reasonable prices as defined in the code of federal regulations,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

On July 11, London\u2019s Guardian<\/a> headlined \u201cHow Microsoft handed NSA access to encrypted messages,\u201d saying:<\/div>\n

Microsoft \u201ccollaborated closely with US intelligence services to allow users\u2019 communications to be intercepted.\u201d It helped NSA \u201ccircumvent the company\u2019s own encryption.\u201d<\/p>\n

Top secret documents Snowden provided the Guardian confirm it. They show:<\/p>\n

\u201cMicrosoft helped the NSA to circumvent its encryption to address concerns that the agency would be unable to intercept web chats on the new Outlook.com portal.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe agency already had pre-encryption stage access to email on Outlook.com, including Hotmail.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe company worked with the FBI this year to allow the NSA easier access via Prism to its cloud storage service SkyDrive, which now has more than 250 million users worldwide.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMicrosoft also worked with the FBI\u2019s Data Intercept Unit to \u2018understand\u2019 potential issues with a feature in Outlook.com that allows users to create email aliases.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIn July last year, nine months after Microsoft bought Skype, the NSA boasted that a new capability had tripled the amount of Skype video calls being collected through Prism.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMaterial collected through Prism is routinely shared with the FBI and CIA, with one NSA document describing the program as a team sport.\u2019 \u201c<\/p>\n

America\u2019s a total surveillance society. It\u2019s longstanding. It persists lawlessly. It\u2019s out-of-control. It threatens personal freedoms. It shows police state contempt for what\u2019s right.<\/p>\n

Free societies don\u2019t do these things. In America, it\u2019s standard practice. Corporate giants cooperate complicitly. They profit handsomely. Who said crime doesn\u2019t pay?<\/p>\n

Nine or more major online companies cooperate with lawless NSA spying. Google, Microsoft, Yahoo, Facebook, Apple, Skype, YouTube and others are involved.<\/p>\n

They do so through NSA\u2019s Prism. It gives the agency access to search histories, emails, file transfers and live chats. It\u2019s gotten directly from US provider servers. Doing so facilitates mass surveillance.<\/p>\n

Google denied involvement, saying:<\/p>\n

It \u201ccares deeply about the security of our users\u2019 data. We disclose user data to government in accordance with the law, and we review all such requests carefully.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cFrom time to time, people allege that we have created a government \u2018back door\u2019 into our systems, but Google does not have a back door for the government to access private user data.\u201d<\/p>\n

Google\u2019s closely allied with Bilderberg movers and shakers. CEO Eric Schmidt\u2019s a regular conference attendee. He believes privacy is quaint and out-of-date. He\u2019s got big plans. He wants Google transformed into \u201cthe ultimate Big Brother.\u201d<\/p>\n

A Microsoft statement said:<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen we upgrade or update products we aren\u2019t absolved from the need to comply with existing or future lawful demands.\u201d<\/p>\n

Officials claim they provide customer data \u201conly in response to government demands and we only ever comply with orders for requests about specific accounts or identifiers.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to the Guardian, \u201cinternal NSA newsletters, marked top secret, suggest the co-operation between the intelligence community and the companies is deep and ongoing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Snowden\u2019s new revelations \u201ccome from the NSA\u2019s Special Source Operations (SSO) division.\u201d He calls them the agency\u2019s \u201ccrown jewels.\u201d<\/p>\n

They\u2019re \u201cresponsible for all programs aimed at US communications systems through corporate partnerships such as Prism.\u201d<\/p>\n

Last July, Microsoft Outlook.com initiated encrypted chats. NSA \u201cbecame concerned. Within five months, Microsoft and the FBI\u201d solved the problem. Doing so lets NSA circumvent encryption.<\/p>\n

In February, Microsoft launched Outlook.com portal. NSA \u201calready had pre-encryption access to Outlook email.\u201d<\/p>\n

Microsoft\/NSA\/FBI cooperation is longstanding. It\u2019s been ongoing \u201cfor many months.\u201d Access \u201cmeans that analysts will no longer have to make a special request to SSO for this \u2014 a process step that many analysts may not have known about.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201c(T)his new capability will result in a much more complete and timely collection response.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThis success is the result of the FBI working for many months with Microsoft to get this tasking and collection solution established.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe FBI Data Intercept Technology Unit (DITU) team is working with Microsoft to understand an additional feature in Outlook.com which allows users to create email aliases, which may affect our tasking processes.\u201d<\/p>\n

Since 2011, NSA worked closely with Microsoft. It gained easy access to Skype. Personal audio and video communications can be monitored. Skype has about 663 million global users.<\/p>\n

NSA shares information accessed with the FBI and CIA. America has 16 known intelligence agencies. On request, they all likely get what NSA collects.<\/p>\n

Microsoft touts its \u201cclear principles\u201d and guidelines. It claims respect for lawful norms and standards. It \u201ctake(s its) commitments to (its) customers\u201d seriously, it says. Snowden documents prove otherwise.<\/p>\n

NSA claims it complies with \u201clegally mandated requirements.\u201d Longstanding lawless spying shows an out-of-control rogue agency.<\/p>\n

A Final Comment<\/p>\n

On July 11, The New York Times<\/a> headlined \u201cUS Is Pressing Latin Americans to Reject Snowden,\u201d saying:<\/div>\n

Efforts reflect \u201cfull-court press\u201d bullying. Vice President Biden threatened Ecuador\u2019s Rafael Correa. US embassies delivered Washington\u2019s message. It did so throughout the region.<\/p>\n

It was clear, unequivocal and menacing. Snowden showing up will have \u201clasting consequences.\u201d According to an unnamed senior State Department official:<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is not a country in the hemisphere whose government does not understand our position at this point.\u201d Aiding Snowden \u201cwould put relations in a very bad place for a long time to come.\u201d<\/p>\n

This type bullying makes more enemies than friends. America\u2019s influence peaked years ago. It\u2019s waning.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s long past time world leaders challenged what\u2019s intolerable to condone. Doing so would neutralize tactics no one should tolerate.<\/p>\n

Venezuelan Foreign Minister Elias Jaua spoke forthrightly. \u201cThe State Department and the government of the United States should know that Venezuela learned a long time ago and defeated pressures from any part of the world.\u201d<\/p>\n

Venezuela offered Snowden asylum. It awaits his reply. US bullying complicates his plans. He remains in limbo.<\/p>\n

He\u2019s unjustly called a traitor. America\u2019s long arm threatens him. It does so wherever he goes. He sacrificed financial security and personal freedom.<\/p>\n

He\u2019ll live each day like his last. He deserves global support for many more.<\/p>\n

Stephen Lendman<\/strong> lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

His new book is titled \u201cBanker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

http:\/\/www.claritypress.com\/LendmanII.html<\/em><\/p>\n

Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.<\/em><\/p>\n

It airs Fridays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.<\/em><\/p>\n

http:\/\/www.progressiveradionetwork.com\/the-progressive-news-hour<\/em><\/p>\n

http:\/\/www.dailycensored.com\/obama-blocks-snowdens-asylum\/<\/em><\/p>\n

Republished with permission from: Global Research<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

On July 12, Russia Today (RT) headlined \u201cUS \u2018blocks my asylum:\u2019 Snowden human rights activists to airport meeting,\u201d saying: Snowden remains stuck. He\u2019s in limbo. He\u2019s at Moscow\u2019s Sheremetyevo Airport. He\u2019s in its transit area. A source told Interfax he\u2019ll meet with human rights organizations late Friday. Airport spokeswoman Anna Zakharenkova said she \u201ccan confirm […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[487],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-50029","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-breaking-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/rinf.com\/alt-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50029","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/rinf.com\/alt-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/rinf.com\/alt-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/rinf.com\/alt-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/rinf.com\/alt-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=50029"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/rinf.com\/alt-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50029\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/rinf.com\/alt-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=50029"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/rinf.com\/alt-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=50029"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/rinf.com\/alt-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=50029"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}