LEAKER GRANTED ASYLUM

Fugitive US intelligence whistle-blower Edward Snowden has received temporary asylum in Russia for one year, and has moved to a safe place, a lawyer assisting him said on Thursday.

“I have just delivered documents from the Russian Federal Migrant Service,” the Interfax news agency quoted Anatoly Kucherena as saying.

“He has gone to a safe place. I hope you will be understanding about this information,” Kucherena told Rossiya 24 television, holding up a scanned copy of Snowden’s certificate granting him a year’s temporary asylum in Russia.

Kucherena said Patriot Act, the anti-terrorism legislation passed shortly after the Sept 11, 2001, attacks.

They also included an April 2013 order from the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, which directed communications company Verizon to Snowden has left the transit zone for an undisclosed location.

“His location is not being made public for security reasons since he is the most pursued man on the planet. He himself will decide where he will go,” he added.

The US has demanded that Russia send Snowden home to face prosecution, but Russian President Vladimir Putin dismissed the request.

Putin had said that Snowden could receive asylum in Russia on condition he stops leaking US secrets. Kucherena has said Snowden accepted the condition. hand over data from millions of US citizens’ telephone calls. The declassified documents said the data would only be used when needed for authorized searches.