02.08 Edward Snowden
MOSCOW, August 2 (RIA Novosti) Edward Snowden, who is wanted by the United States for leaking classified information on US surveillance programs and who was granted temporary asylum Thursday by Russia, has decided where he is going to live and is in a safe place with friends, a Russian lawyer who helped him with his asylum bid said Friday.
Snowden is in a safe place. I didnt suggest it to him, it was his decision, said lawyer Anatoly Kucherena. He will decide for himself how to live his life from now on. He has friends with him, including Americans with whom he made contact via his friends from the United States when he was still in the [airport] transit zone, Kucherena told Dozhd TV.
The lawyer told journalists Thursday that Snowdens whereabouts would not be disclosed in the interests of the former intelligence contractors safety, describing him as one of the worlds most wanted fugitives.
Snowden is wanted in the United States on espionage and theft charges after leaking classified information about the US National Security Agencys surveillance programs. He spent more than a month in the transit zone of Moscows Sheremetyevo Airport after arriving in Russia on a flight from Hong Kong on June 23, and finally left the airport Thursday after receiving a years temporary asylum from Russia.
Washington has repeatedly called on Moscow to reject Snowdens request and send him back to the United States to stand trial.
The human rights organization Amnesty International welcomed Russia's decision to grant Snowden temporary asylum as a "positive development" and called on the Russian authorities to respect Snowdens rights.
He should be allowed to travel freely, including outside of Russia, if he wishes, Amnesty International said in a statement on its website Thursday.
Updated with new headline and quote about friends.
