Former National Security Agency (NSA) employee Edward Snowden, despite receiving Russian citizenship, remains a US citizen and must face American justice. This was announced on September 26 by the head of the press service of the State Department, Ned Price.
“Our position has not changed,” the diplomat stressed.
According to him, Snowden should return to the United States and answer before the court, like any other American.
Earlier Monday, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree granting Edward Snowden Russian citizenship. Press Secretary of the President of Russia Dmitry Peskov explained that the citizenship of the Russian Federation was granted to the American at his request.
Snowden’s wife will also apply for Russian citizenship, said Anatoly Kucherena, the American’s lawyer in Russia.
In March 2021, Kucherena said that the documents of the former American intelligence officer for obtaining Russian citizenship were ready and would be submitted to the relevant departments for consideration.
In August 2020, at that time, US President Donald Trump promised to get acquainted with the Snowden case and consider pardoning him. However, in the end, the politician did not pardon Snowden. He, in turn, noted that he was not upset by what had happened.
Snowden received temporary asylum in Russia back in August 2013, after he handed over secret materials about the British and American surveillance programs on the Internet to The Guardian and The Washington Post newspapers in June of the same year.
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