Whistle-blower Snowden seeks asylum in China, among other nations, says Wikileaks
Fugitive whistle-blower also releases a statement, criticising the US and saying he remains 'unbowed' in his convictions
Former US spy agency contractor Edward Snowden broke his silence on Monday for the first time since fleeing to Moscow over a week ago, blasting the Obama administration and saying he remains free to make new disclosures about US spying activity.
Snowden, who faces espionage charges in the United States and believed to be staying in a transit area at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport, surfaced with a letter to the Ecuadorean government and in a statement released through anti-secrecy group WikiLeaks, which has taken up his cause.
WikiLeaks also disclosed on Monday that Snowden had prepared requests for asylum in countries including Russia, Austria, Bolivia, Brazil, China, Cuba, Finland, France, Germany, India, Italy, Ireland, the Netherlands, Nicaragua, Norway, Poland, Spain, Switzerland and Venezuela.
No matter how many more days my life contains, I remain dedicated to the fight for justice in this unequal world
Snowden, 30, had not been heard from in the eight days since he flew to Moscow from Hong Kong, where he had first taken refuge after fleeing Hawaii.