Given that over the past decade the US has refused to hand over to Russia about 20 people they have wanted for alleged crimes, I was wondering how long it would be before the Russians were pushed over the edge by being sanctimoniously told that they had an obligation to hand Edward Snowden to the US. It looks like that moment has arrived.
“Law agencies asked the US on many occasions to extradite wanted criminals through Interpol channels, but those requests were neither met nor even responded to,” spokesman for the Russian Interior Ministry Andrey Pilipchuk said on Monday.
Snowden seems to have a lot of support in Russia.
Snowden won sympathies from activists worldwide, as many people see him as a hero, who sacrificed his career and possibly freedom to expose questionable secretive government policies. Russian human rights activists supporting the American said they regularly receive offers of money, jobs and even marriage to Snowden, the latter to facilitate his entrance to the country.
So Russia joins Ecuador in openly pointing out US hypocrisy. But one can be sure that the feeling is practically global.
… the US has refused to hand over to Russia about 20 people they have wanted for alleged crimes….
Yabbut, that’s different. I bet those people couldn’t expect fair and open trials in Russia…oh. Never mind.
…even marriage to Snowden, the latter to facilitate his entrance to the country.
One thing I should add: if the Russian immigration people are anything like the US immigration people, then they are authorized to make a judgement on whether the marriage is legitimate or a sham just to allow residency for the foreign party.
Wouldn’t one expect the decision as to the bona fides of the marriage to be made at a higher level than the Imm and Natz Dep’t (or whatever its name is in their bureacracy)? 😎
It is always the beginning of the end for an empire when it begins to realize that it has accidentally delimited the lines of engagement against itself.