Russia says it has not received any request from the United States to extradite US surveillance whistleblower Edward Snowden.
On Thursday, the Russian Justice Ministry rejected reports on such a request from the United States, adding that it had just received a letter from US Attorney General Eric Holder regarding Washingtonâ„¢s position on Snowden.
“This document did not contain requests for the extradition or deportation of this individual,” the ministry said in a statement.
Russian business daily Kommersant previously said that Washington had sent an official document to Moscow asking for Snowden’s extradition.
On Wednesday, Snowdenâ„¢s lawyer Antoly Kucherena said that he should remain at Russiaâ„¢s Sheremetyevo International Airport for a little longer as his asylum plea is still under review by Russian immigration authorities.
The lawyer did not give a particular date as to when the documents would be issued, explaining that the reason behind the delay in issuing all the required documents for Snowden is the uniqueness of situation.
Senator Robert Menendez, chairman of the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee, has warned Moscow against granting refuge to Snowden.
Å“I repeat my message to Russia that providing any refuge to Edward Snowden will be harmful to US-Russia relations,” Menendez said in a statement sent to published by the Los Angeles Times on Wednesday.
Snowden has been at the airportâ„¢s transit area since arriving in Moscow from Hong Kong on June 23.
On June 6, The Guardian reported that a top secret US court order allows the US National Security Agency (NSA) to collect data on the millions of US citizens who are customers of the phone company Verizon.
On the same day, The Washington Post reported that the NSA had direct access to internet servers, saying their source, a career intelligence officer, was horrified about the capabilities of the systems used by the US intelligence agency.
On June 9, Snowden admitted his role in the leaks in a 12-minute video posted by The Guardian.
The NSA scandal took even broader dimensions when Snowden revealed information about its espionage activities targeting friendly countries.
IA/MHB
Republished from: Press TV