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FUGITIVE US INTELLIGENCE leaker Edward Snowden was denied asylum by a host of countries Tuesday after applying for a safe haven in 21 nations spanning the globe in hopes of winning protection from American justice.
Ireland, which was one of the 21 countries asked, said it does not comment on individual cases but that Irish legislation only permits applications from persons within the State.
Poland immediately rejected the petitions while an Indian foreign ministry spokesman said “we have concluded that we see no reason to accede to the request.” The Netherlands also said no.
And a spokesman for Russian President Vladimir Putin said Snowden himself had decided to scrap his petition with Moscow — where he has been stranded in an airport transit zone since June 23 — after the Kremlin chief said he wanted him to stop releasing damaging allegations about the United States.
“He abandoned his intention and his request to receive the chance of staying in Russia,” Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
The WikiLeaks anti-secrecy website that is helping the 30-year-old former National Security Agency contractor said he had sent out applications to 13 European countries as well as six Latin American nations along with China and India.
A Chinese foreign ministry spokesman in Beijing said:
I’ve seen some reports of his petition for political asylum in some countries but I have no information about that.
Austria and Finland as well as Iceland and Norway and Spain confirmed they had received the request but argued it was legally invalid because it was not filed from inside their respective countries.
Italy said it was “evaluating” the request which it dubbed “irregular” because it was not made in person. And Germany said Snowden’s request would be reviewed “according to the law”, while France and Switzerland had not yet received the asylum application.
But leftist Bolivian President Evo Morales said Tuesday his Latin American country was willing to consider giving Snowden asylum.
“If there were a request, of course we would be willing to debate and consider the idea,” Morales told Russia’s state-run RT television in comments translated by the channel from Spanish.
Snowden also found support from another leftist Latin American leader Nicolas Maduro of Venezuela.
“What he did was reveal a big truth so that we could avoid a war,” he said during a two-day visit to Moscow during which he was attending an energy summit.
“What is happening now should not be — he never killed anyone or plant any bombs.”
But Maduro refused to entertain speculation that he might take Snowden on a plane with him from Moscow — a possibility raised both by Russian media and political observers of the explosive case.
Snowden has been stuck in a Moscow airport’s transit zone since arriving there from Hong Kong after releasing explosive allegations about Washington’s vast global spying programmes.
He accused the United States late on Monday of pressuring foreign leaders to refuse him refuge after Washington charged him with espionage for going through with his intelligence leaks.
“These are the old, bad tools of political aggression,” Snowden said in a statement published by the anti-secrecy WikiLeaks group.
“Their purpose is to frighten, not me, but those who would come after me.”
An asylum application letter Snowden sent to Poland stressed that US President Barack Obama “is not afraid of whistleblowers like me, Bradley Manning or Thomas Drake. We are stateless, imprisoned, or powerless.
“No, the Obama administration is afraid of you. It is afraid of an informed, angry public demanding the constitutional government it was promised – and it should be.”
Snowden’s latest major leak about US spying on EU countries has angered many European governments and threatened to derail preparations for delicate talks on a massive free trade deal between Washington and Brussels.
European Parliament president Martin Schulz stressed that he was “sympathetic” to an asylum request by fugitive US intelligence leaker Snowden and compared reports of US spying on EU offices to “KGB methods”.
WikiLeaks said Snowden had also applied for asylum in Brazil, Cuba, Ecuador, and Nicaragua.
Snowden denounces US
Snowden had remained quiet and out of sight of reporters since arriving in the transit zone of Moscow Sheremetyevo Airport.
He had planned to travel on to Cuba the following day but never got on the flight because he apparently lacked the proper boarding papers after his US travel passport was revoked.
Snowden late Monday issued his first statement through WikiLeaks since his arrival in Moscow — a blistering attack on the United States.
“Without any judicial order, the administration now seeks to stop me exercising a basic right. A right that belongs to everybody. The right to seek asylum.”
Snowden also called Ecuador — a country to which he first applied for asylum and whose London embassy is harbouring WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange — one of those who stand up to US interests “an example to the world”.
Shouldn’t Brady be charged for withholding evidence?
Was rape a crime back then? Yes it was. Was the rape of a child a crime? YES. Cardinal Brady withheld evidence of serious crimes, and ENABLED this rapist to continue raping children for many more years after Brady became aware of Smyths crimes. Brady should be arrested and charged and jailed when found guilty.
Or is there a new category of criminal, blue collar, white collar and now dog collar. It seems the last two categories are beyond the reach of the law in this state. Remember priests jailed previously in Ireland were defrocked beforehand. Heaven help us.
Late but welcomed input from Gilmore… I set up a facebook campaign 3 years ago, looking for Brady to resign, when his involvement in cover-ups broke in the media …. Call me cynical, but, now that this has been broadcast on BBC, and not RTE and TV3 (like it was 3 years ago), now, people think he should resign…. Why do we need to wait for a foreign TV station to broadcast to 100′s of millions what an absolute sham we have in this country, when we were told all these same facts 3 years ago… I can’t figure this part out… GRRRRRRRRRR
I think its because RTE and TV3 are not seen as very credible when it comes to documentary alot of the time when compared to say Channel 4 or BBC, they also air to a smaller audience then the likes of the BBC.
I know many people who just don’t watch RTE anymore and as such would not be aware of the shows they air.
Cal
I agree that it is a dis grace that an English tv channel has highlighted Brady’s involvement with Smiths cover up and his protection … I am getting more and more angry at all that is happening . Is he like so many people in ”powerful ministries” be it banking or politics or the church that he believes he is beyond retribution? e is so far removed from reality that he is not affected by the damage and reality of child rape in a victims life and the lives of family and friends . He must leave or be removed .
There are many people in Ireland unworthy of positions of authority, political opportunists and senior clerics alike.
Well, you have to start weeding them out sooner or later, or they’ll weed you out.
About time a leading politician made a clear unambiguous statement on this.
Three days ago, his backbencher TDs were on thejournal.ie arguing at length that we couldn’t just chuck the religious orders out of primary education, that we have to work with them to achieve some sort of consensus.
Now Gilmore’s saying that anyone who knew what Brady knew shouldn’t be in a position of authority.
Is it me, or do those two things seem to be mutually exclusive philosophies?
Those backbencher TD comments are here btw:
http://www.thejournal.ie/poll-indicates-three-quarters-of-parents-want-change-in-primary-school-patronage-434184-Apr2012/#comments
The sad thing is whomever would replace Brady would share the same mindset.The Vaticans defense of Brady shows nothing has changed.No one it seems to me in the church feels any wrong was done Brady therfore i feel in its present form it is doomed.
To have known and not reported this to the police and the result is this fowl human beast to continue raping innocent children is unforgivable. Brady is as guilty as if he raped these poor children himself, he should face criminal charges
Is Gilmore implying that Brady STILL has authority? Why isn’t Gilmore insisting on the complete dismantling of Brady’s architecture of child abuse concealment? In the new Ireland that Gilmore’s government is busy building, ordinary people, who have lost their jobs through no fault of their own, or who need help from the social welfare, are going to be harassed, bullied and intimidated yet those who are known to have facilitated the coverup of child abuse are just going to be subject to a bit of finger-wagging!
Not good enough Gilmore. It’s time we treated criminals for what they are and afford dignity to those who deserve it.
Martin McGuinness has also called on Cardinal Brady to “consider his position” because of wrongs committed in the 70s… Ehhh… Mr Pot, this is Mr Kettle…
Paul,
actually related to the subject….Remember Michael Woods and the “deal” with the Religious?
Pot, Kettle etc.
Paul, Gerry Adams advised his own Niece to go to the Police about the fact that his niece was being abused. I think your comment is a pretty desperate attempt to slag off SF on a topic like this. Pretty sad really. If i understand your position, you are implying Martin McGuinness shouldn’t have made any requests for Brady to stand down???
Child abuse is a very very serious matter. Dragging it into party political slagging matches is totally inappropriate.
Paul, i just read your twitter account header .. You are a proud FF member … If you consider slagging off Martin McGuinness for criticizing Brady on this issue as one of FF’s prouder moments, you are just demonstrating how little FF have learned in the last few years. I am sick to the pit of my stomach with you and your ilk. You know no bounds or depths to lower yourselves to.
Brady said he didn’t realise the damage that was caused to the children !!! He also maintains that he reported to his bishop who in his turn reported it to the norbertine order (Smith’s order) BUT Why wasa it not reported to the police .These were educated men ! Why did Sean Brady not walk into his local police / garda station and report it . He was a teacher , he was with kids , he should have known the damage smith caused.
Of course he should resign . Exercise some decorum and put his hands up and leave . He is after all only one man and should not be so proud to believe he is any thing more.
Resign? Decorum? I don’t want him to resign with decorum.
I want to see him arrested by the Gardai for failing to report a series of serious crimes against children and perverting the course of justice, and then I want to see him prosecuted for that in court by the DPP and then I want to see him in jail to send a message to the other priests and members of the RCC that Ireland is a hostile place to anyone who rapes a child.
Mark Dennehy
Apologies ! I do not mean he should resign with decorum . Obviously I have not made my self clear . He should resign if he had any dignity and leave. Failing that he should be removed. The problem here is that these guys think they are above all of us . I personally know what I would like to see happen …… However! I did not mean to give the impression that i have any sympathy for him . He is the one lacking dignity and he lacks humility.
Captain Blowhard,more hot air and no action,as usual.The Labour party way!!!
After using opinions to steal from Social Welfare Recipients for over a decade politicians display that no one could be trusted in positions of responsibility until all of the victims are found.
Eh?
All this new information about Cardinal Brady merely having the responsibility of “taking notes” during the 1975 investigation really annoys me.
The TRUTH of the matter, ironically, can be found in a Church statement from 2010 and reads as follows:
A statement from the Church in March 2010 said: “Cardinal Brady had been drafted in to CONDUCT THE INVESTIGATION because he held a doctorate in canon law”.
He says things that court popularity and he fooled a lot of people coming up to the last election.
His pronouncements on this issue have to be taken in that context.
For he knows words are cheap and easy.
What action is he prepared to demonstrate.
For action is warranted in this case.
I have no interest in what the tanaiste says.
Hah Gilmore out of his box again. And flogging a dead horse! Yet silence on the flogging of live horses…. the Irish people. Why don’t you resign Gilmore because as far as I can see you are far more dangerous than some old fop trying to hold onto his career……. oh wait……. And yes I am a disgruntled labour voter.
He should be defrocked,and expelled from ireland.He covered up for too long.
Auld Gil must have been reading the journal.ie poll…
This man Cared more fore his career than the care of children, just as guilty than Smyth.
Credit where it’s due, not often have we seen a politician come out and call it as it is. Thought I’d wait a lifetime to hear the likes of it.
What’s the difference between stating something and suggesting it ?
have your say