Snowden Leaves Hong Kong, Local Officials Say
Keith Bradsher, Ellen Barry, NYT, Jun 23 2013
HONG KONG — The Hong Kong government announced on Sunday afternoon that it had allowed Edward Snowden’s departure from its territory. The government statement said that Hong Kong had informed the US of Snowden’s departure. A Moscow-based reservations agent at Aeroflot said that Snowden was aboard flight SU213 to Moscow, with a scheduled arrival there a little after 5 p.m. Moscow time. The reservations agent said that Snowden was traveling on a one-way ticket to Moscow. The ticket did not appear to include a destination beyond Moscow, the agent said, while cautioning that Snowden might have a separate reservation or ticket. Snowden is traveling with one other person, with the surname Harrison, but the agent declined to release the other traveler’s first name, saying that she did not have the authorization to do so. The Hong Kong Bar Association Web site does not list any lawyers with the family name Harrison. Snowden’s departure is a setback for the US, which had been pressing Hong Kong to surrender him to US law enforcement officials. The Hong Kong government said on Sunday, in its first detailed statement about Snowden, that the US had made a legal request for the issue of a provisional warrant of arrest against Snowden, but that the Hong Kong government had concluded that the request “did not fully comply with the legal requirements under Hong Kong law.” The statement said:
Hong Kong has requested more information from the US but has not received it. Because the government has yet to have sufficient information to process the request for provisional warrant of arrest, there is no legal basis to restrict Mr Snowden from leaving Hong Kong. The Hong Kong government has also written to the US government to ask for clarification about media reports that Mr Snowden had released documents showing that US government agencies had hacked computer systems her. The Hong Kong government, will continue to follow up on the matter so as to protect the legal rights of the people of Hong Kong.
Wikileaks said in a statement on its Twitter feed that it had “assisted Mr Snowden’s political asylum in a democratic country, travel papers,” and safe exit from Hong Kong. Wikileaks did not identify the country. Snowden had previously expressed an interest in going to Iceland, a country with a history of strongly defending Internet freedoms, although it is less clear that the current government wishes to become involved in such disputes. In a follow-up Twitter posting at 5:20 a.m. New York time, Wikileaks said:
Mr Snowden is currently over Russian airspace accompanied by WikiLeaks legal advisers.
A close adviser to Julian Assange, who orchestrated the release of the diplomatic cables three years ago, is named Sarah Harrison, prompting speculation that she was the Harrison on the flight with Snowden. Dmitri Peskov, Pres Putin’s spokesman, said:
The Kremlin was not informed of Snowden’s plans. I don’t know if he is coming with a visa or without a visa. We are not tracing his movements. I am not sure if he is coming. If he is coming, we will wait and see. If he applies for asylum in Russia, there is a procedure, and it will be applied. If there is an application, it is going to be considered, as all applications are. If there is no application, we will do what is prescribed by law. You’d have to ask the police what that is. The Russian government in any case is not the proper place to communicate. It is not an issue for us. It is not an issue for the Kremlin. Well, let’s wait. We will be watching.
Dmitri Trenin of the Carnegie Moscow Center, said:
I think probably he will remain in Russia, which is increasingly positioning itself as a protector of people like Julian Assange, whom Western governments wish to prosecute. I don’t think there is any other country that would stand up to US pressure, which will be tremendous. The Chinese don’t want to spoil their relationship with the US. Russia is sometimes embracing conflict with the US. Russia Today, which is state-financed, has become a platform for figures like Assange, who are unlikely to appear through mainstream Western news outlets. Russia is turning into a haven, virtually, intellectually and physically, for those who have an ax to grind with the West, who are whistle-blowers or have problems with Western authorities. It’s the only country in the world that at this point can afford it, or thinks it can afford it. Even if Snowden transfers in Moscow and continues to another destination, like Havana or Caracas, Russia will still have played a central role in his flight from prosecution. The minute Aeroflot got the information that a certain person by the name of Snowden is about to buy a ticket, this information would be immediately transferred to the “competent authorities.” It would be a political decision to give him a ticket or deny him a ticket.
Snowden leaves Hong Kong on commercial flight to Moscow
Lana Lam, South China Morning Post, Jun 23 2013
US whistle-blower Edward Snowden has left Hong Kong and is on a commercial flight to Russia, but Moscow will not be his final destination. He boarded the Moscow-bound flight earlier on Sunday and would continue on to another country. The Hong Kong government said in a statement that Snowden had departed “on his own accord for a third country through a lawful and normal channel.” He left from Chep Lap Kok airport on a flight scheduled for 10.55am. He boarded Aeroflot Flight SU213, which is due to land at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo International Airport at 5.15pm local time. “Snowden left Hong Kong on his own will,” a government source told the Post, adding that the Hong Kong government had not provided Snowden with any assistance or protection during his whole stay. The source dispelled media claims that the government had provided him a “safe house.” It was understood that Snowden’s departure was a relief to the Hong Kong government, which had been making all legal preparation to deal with new developments regarding the case. The Hong Kong government said it had notified the US government about Snowden’s departure. The US government on Jun 14 filed espionage and theft charges against Snowden, and the US National Security Council confirmed that it had put in a formal extradition request to the Hong Kong government. The Hong Kong government said on Sunday that it had requested more information so the Department of Justice could consider whether to go forward with the US extradition request. The statement said:
As the HKSAR government has yet to have sufficient information to process the request for provisional warrant of arrest, there is no legal basis to restrict Mr Snowden from leaving Hong Kong.
WikiLeaks said on Twitter it had helped Snowdwn secure political asylum in a “democratic country.” It also said it had arranged his travel papers and “safe exit from Hong Kong.” Snowden is accompanied WikiLeaks legal advisers, the group said. According to a Moscow-based reservations agent contacted by the NYT, Snowden is traveling with one other person, who was identified by only the last name Harrison. It has been previously reported that Iceland or Ecuador were possible options for Snowden to seek political asylum. The Russian embassy in Beijing would neither confirm nor deny Snowden is on a flight to Moscow. The Russian consulate in Hong Kong declined to comment. Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Sunday that he was unaware of Snowden’s location or plans, Reuters reported.
Edward Snowden leaves Hong Kong for Moscow
Tania Branigan, Miriam Elder, Guardian, Jun 23 2013
HONG KONG, MOSCOW – NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden has flown out of Hong Kong, despite a US request for his arrest. He had previously said he would stay in the city and fight for his freedom in the courts. But the Hong Kong government confirmed that he left on Sunday, two days after the US announced it had charged him with espionage, saying documents filed by the US did not fully comply with legal requirements. It also said it was requesting clarification from Washington on Snowden’s claims that the US had hacked targets in the territory. Snowden had been at a safe house since Jun 10, when he checked out of his hotel after giving an interview to the Guardian outing himself as the source who leaked top secret documents. Hong Kong’s decision to allow him to leave comes a day after the US sought to turn up the pressure on the territory to hand him over, with a senior administration official telling the WaPo:
If Hong Kong doesn’t act soon, it will complicate our bilateral relations and raise questions about Hong Kong’s commitment to the rule of law.
Sunday’s statement from the Hong Kong authorities said:
Mr Edward Snowden left Hong Kong today of his own accord for a third country through a lawful and normal channel. The US Government earlier on made a request to the HKSAR Government for the issue of a provisional warrant of arrest against Mr Snowden. Since the documents provided by the US Government did not fully comply with the legal requirements under Hong Kong law, the HKSAR Government has requested the US Government to provide additional information so that the Department of Justice could consider whether the US Government’s request can meet the relevant legal conditions. As the HKSAR Government has yet to have sufficient information to process the request for provisional warrant of arrest, there is no legal basis to restrict Mr Snowden from leaving Hong Kong. The HKSAR Government has already informed the US Government of Mr Snowden’s departure. Meanwhile, the HKSAR Government has formally written to the US Government requesting clarification on earlier reports about the hacking of computer systems in Hong Kong by US government agencies. The HKSAR Government will continue to follow up on the matter so as to protect the legal rights of the people of Hong Kong.
According to the South China Morning Post he boarded an Aeroflot flight to Moscow, although the newspaper said Russia was not his ultimate destination. It suggested he might go to Ecuador or Iceland, having cited the latter as a possible refuge in an interview with the Guardian. However, reports from Moscow indicate that Havana would be his next port of call, with the ultimate destination either Caracas in Venezuela or Quito in Ecuador. The South China Morning Post claimed he took off from the airport at 10.55am on flight SU213 on Sunday morning and was due to arrive at Moscow’s Shermetyevo International Airport at 5.15pm. It added that the Russian embassy in Beijing would neither confirm nor deny he was on a flight to Moscow and the Russian consulate in Hong Kong declined to comment. Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov said:
I don’t [know if he’s planning to stay in Moscow]. I heard about the potential [arrival] from the press. I know nothing. In the event of a request for asylum from Snowden, every application is considered so it’s standard procedure. We are not tracing his movements and I know nothing.
WikiLeaks said on its Twitter feed that it had “assisted Mr Snowden’s political asylum in a democratic country, travel papers and safe exit from Hong Kong.” On Friday, an Icelandic businessman linked to WikiLeaks told Reuters he had prepared a private plane for Snowden’s use if the government was willing to give him asylum. Olafur Vignir Sigurvinsson, a director of DataCell, which processed payments for WikiLeaks, said:
A private jet is in place in China and we could fly Snowden over tomorrow if we get positive reaction from the interior ministry. We need to get confirmation of asylum and that he will not be extradited to the US. We would most want him to get a citizenship as well.
The Icelandic government has declined to say whether it would grant asylum to Snowden and pointed out that he would need to apply in person. Snowden has said he did not travel direct to Iceland from the US because he feared the small country could be put under pressure by Washington. Lawyers have said the legal battle for Snowden’s surrender could last for years, particularly if he argued that he should not be returned because his offence was political. But they had also warned that in the long run he was unlikely to prove successful.
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