*Updated July 8*
Guadalajara -
Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro today announced that his country will grant "humanitarian asylum" to former NSA security contractor Edward Snowden, who tonight remains holed up in Moscow's international airport.
Yesterday Maduro quickly rebuffed an American request to extradite Snowden should the fugitive contractor show up in Caracas. Nicolás Maduro rejects U.S. request on Snowden.
Hours ago the Nicaraguan government of president Daniel Ortega said his country is also "disposed to accept" Edward Snowden.
Maduro put all of his cards on the table, in language designed to deliver a punch to Washington and a message which will be well received in many Latin American capitals.
"As chief of state and president of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, I have today decided to offer humanitarian asylum to this young man who did nothing more than tell the truth, to protect him from persecution at the hands of the world's greatest imperialist power."
"Let us ask ourselves, who broke the law? Who broke international law? A young man who in a spirit of defiance decided to report the truth about espionage by the United States against the whole world, or that same government of elitist imperialists who spied on the entire world?"
Maduro railed again about the grounding in Austria of Bolivian president Evo Morales' presidential jet on Tuesday, as he returned to La Paz from a Moscow summit. The incident has become a veritable cause célèbre, pitting several Latin American nations against their former colonial masters in Europe. Most of them hold the United States fully accountable for the incident. Evo Morales: "We will close the U.S. embassy in La Paz."
The president did not say whether Snowden's team of legal advisers had sought asylum in Caracas for the fugitive contractor. But earlier today Wikileaks confirmed that asylum petitions have been filed with more than 20 nations.
Snowden's team did not immediately respond to Maduro's offer. But they may have few if any other travel options on the table, almost two weeks after the American made a daring escape from Hong Kong to Moscow which foiled determined U.S. plans to detain him in China.
On June 5 U.S. secretary of state John Kerry held a private meeting with Venezuela's foreign minister after an Organization of American States assembly in Costa Rica. The two men agreed on the need to improve relations between their countries, which have been in a state of poor diplomatic health for many years. An acceptance of Edward Snowden by Venezuela would undoubtedly derail those plans. Venezuela deports American Timothy Hallet Tracy.
Maduro spoke today during festivities celebrating Venezuela's independence from Spain, July 5.
July 6 - Bolivia joins the crowd: Morales offers Snowden asylum
July 6 - Venezuelan foreign minister Elías Jaua today publicly called upon Snowden and his team to respond to Venezuela's offer by Monday. The Russian government is also urging Snowden to make a decision soon. He's wearing out his welcome in Moscow. Rusia parece desear que Snowden parta a Venezuela.
July 8 - President Maduro told the Venezuelan press today that the nation's embassy in Moscow has received a letter seeking political asylum from Snowden. He did not say when it was received or when it might be acted upon. The letter is probably identical to this one.
July 10 - Advierten sobre riesgos para Venezuela por ofrecer asilo a Snowden
July 9 - Maduro puts out the welcome mat for Edward Snowden, unconditionally
June 30 - Barack Obama - before and after, in his own words
June 27 - Ecuador's gutsy "stick it"
June 23 - United States of America v. Edward Snowden:
Mar. 5 - All the President's Men
May 12, 2012 - Barack Obama should free Alan Gross
Timothy Hallett Tracy case
May 6 - Timothy Hallett Tracy is "neither a photographer nor a film maker"
Apr. 27 - Timothy Hallett Tracy makes first appearance in Venezuelan court
Apr. 25 - Venezuela arrests U.S. national Timothy Hallett Tracy
© MGRR 2013. All rights reserved. This article may be cited or briefly quoted with proper attribution or a hyperlink, but not reproduced without permission.
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