HK rejects asylum for refugees who sheltered Snowden
HONG KONG: Hong Kong authorities have rejected asylum requests from a group of refugees who sheltered fugitive whistleblower Edward Snowden four years ago, in what their lawyer said is retaliation for helping the former National Security Agency (NSA) contractor.
Immigration officials in the southern Chinese city denied the applications by the four adults and three children from Sri Lanka and the Philippines, their lawyer Robert Tibbo said Monday.
Snowden hid out in Hong Kong for two weeks in June 2013 after he leaked documents revealing extensive US government surveillance.
His whereabouts were a mystery during that time and it was not until last year that the role Tibbo and his clients played in sheltering Snowden was revealed.
Tibbo said his clients will appeal the ruling, which leaves them at risk of being detained or deported to their home countries. They have also applied for refugee status in Canada.
He said he represents 50 to 60 other clients who are applying for asylum in Hong Kong, where cases typically take years to be processed. But so far, only these cases have received a speedy decision from immigration officials — issued last Thursday — in a sign they have been targeted by authorities, Tibbo said.
The Hong Kong government “has repeat- edly tried to question the four adults about their involvement with Mr. Snowden. For example, about how long had Mr. Snowden been staying with them, what was Mr. Snowden’s movement in the territory, which is irrelevant to the ( asylum) claims,” he said.
Tibbo said that when they refused to answer the questions, their social assistance payments for rent and food were cut off.