BREAKING NEWS: Morales' plane forced to land

Bolivian presidential plane forced to land in Austria over suspicions Snowden on board

After departing from Russia the plane of Bolivian President Evo Morales was forced to landing in Austria Wednesday morning over suspicions that NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden was on board, a claim Bolivian authorities denied.

RT,

2 July 2013

Snowden had requested asylum from Bolivia, which has yet to answer; he also petitioned Austria but was rejected. Reports indicated the plane was hindered in navigating Western Europe as France and Portugal would not allow the La Paz-bound plane to enter their airspace.

David Choquehuanca, the Bolivian Foregin Minister, refuted the idea Snowden was on the plane, saying “we don’t know who invited this lie, but we want to denounce to the international community this injustice with the plane of President Evo Morales.”

The rare instance of two countries denying airspace to the leader of a non-adversarial country is indicative of Snowden’s current situation. Morales previously told RT he would consider granting Snowden asylum, but the number of countries that would agree continues to decrease by the day.

Venezuelan President Nicholas Maduro, speaking with RT, said he would leave the decision up to the Venezuelan people.

“If Snowden stays alone, he will be destroyed,” he said. “But what kind of crimes did he commit? What kind of bombs did he explode or what kind of missiles did he launch? He tries to fight against controlling weak countries. This is why we say that we share what this young man says and that protecting Snowden will protect peace.”

See also - Bolivian plane diverted as Snowden's options narrow

Snowden asylum bid: 1 withdrawn, 9 denied, 11 pending

NSA leaker Edward Snowden has reportedly sought asylum in 21 countries, aiming to gain protection against US prosecutors. But nine nations have already rejected the whistleblower's requests, leaving him trapped in Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport.

RT,

2 July 2013

NSA leaker Edward Snowden has reportedly sought asylum in 21 countries, aiming to gain protection against US prosecutors. But nine nations have already rejected the whistleblower's requests, leaving him trapped in Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport.

According to Wikileaks, Snowden has received outright rejections from four countries: Finland, Brazil, Poland, and India. New Dehli said on Tuesday that it has “no reason” to accede the whistleblower’s request. In his application to Poland, Snowden said that he risks facing the death penalty if he is returned to the US.

Spain, Norway, Italy, Ecuador, and Austria have also rejected Snowden’s applications, stating that asylum requests cannot be granted unless the applicant is already inside the country. Italy also stated that Snowden’s application was made via fax, which is not allowed, ITAR-TASS reported, citing a source in the Italian Foreign Ministry.

Other nations have yet to respond to Snowden’s asylum requests. Those countries include Bolivia, China, Cuba, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Netherlands, Nicaragua, and Switzerland. Despite Wikileaks' claim that Snowden has, in fact, sought asylum in China, Beijing said on Tuesday that it is not aware of the request. France has also denied receiving a request.

Snowden previously asked for asylum in Russia, but withdrew the request after President Putin urged him to “cease anti-American activity,” the president’s spokesperson said in a statement. Putin has stated that Moscow will not extradite the whistleblower to the US.

At a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Brunei, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said he had raised Snowden "from our point of view" despite the affair not being in their domain, Reuters reported.

US Secretary of State John Kerry deflects a question from a reporter about whether he and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will discuss the fate of fugitive US secrets leaker Edward Snowden, before their meeting at the ASEAN summit in Brunei on July 2, 2013. (AFP Photo / Jaquelyn Martin)

But it seems the whistleblower shouldn’t give up hope just yet. In an exclusive interview with RT on Tuesday, Bolivian President Evo Morales said that his government had not yet received a request from Snowden, but would consider it once it was received.

“Bolivia is ready to give political asylum to people who expose spying activities, so to speak...if we receive a request, we are willing to consider it,” Morales said.

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro expressed a similar sentiment, stating that Caracas is also willing to consider an asylum request from Snowden.

“This young man must be protected in terms of international and humanitarian law. He has a right to be protected, because he is being pursued be the US. By its president, vice president, and secretary of state. Why is he being pursued? What kind of crime has he committed? Has he launched a missile and killed anyone? Has he planted a bomb and killed anyone? No, he hasn’t. On the contrary, he is doing everything to prevent wars, to prevent any kind of illegal action against the whole world. Venezuela hasn't so far received an asylum request from Snowden - when we get it we are ready to consider it,” Maduro told journalists in Moscow.

The US has voided Snowden’s passport, making it impossible to leave the transit zone of Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport. The whistleblower has reportedly filed his asylum applications through a legal representative.

Snowden has captivated the world’s press after leaking data on the NSA’s mass surveillance program in May. The whistleblower originally sought to evade US jurisdiction in Hong Kong but left for Moscow on June 23, traveling on special documents given to him by the Ecuadorian government as his US passport was voided.

However, Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa said on Monday that any help granted to Snowden had been purely accidental and that no more aid would be given to him. He stressed that the Ecuadorian consul in London acted outside their authority when they issued the travel documents to Snowden.

Venezuela ready to help Snowden, but final decision with people - Maduro to RT

RT,

2 July 2013

Caracas is ready to help NSA leaker Edward Snowden, but will “leave the decision to the people” when considering his request for asylum, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has told RT Spanish in an exclusive interview.

"I think we should do something for him and I will leave this decision to the people. We either help him or we close the door and forget about him. We really believe in world peace and world balance. We are not afraid of any kind of empires. I don’t know how many people can hear me in this studio, but there is no empire that can intimidate us," Maduro told Spanish language RT Actualidad.

"This young man has to be protected by the international community. He did with dignity to tell the world that there are mechanisms that are intended to control information and spy on the world," Maduro added.

"If Snowden stays alone, he will be destroyed. But what kind of crimes did he commit? What kind of bombs did he explode or what kind of missiles did he launch? He tries to fight against controlling weak countries. This is why we say that we share what this young man says and that protecting Snowden will protect peace," Maduro said.

Earlier NSA leaker Edward Snowden was reported to have sought asylum in 21 countries, aiming to gain protection against US prosecutors.

When questioned whether Caracas has received an application from Snowden, Maduro said that he has "no official communication that says Snowden applied for asylum in Venezuela."

He added that Venezuela "must await the reaction of the world" when asked whether he would grant asylum to the whistleblower.

The US has voided Snowden’s passport, making it impossible to leave the transit zone of Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport.

"We should not think about how Snowden would escape Moscow airport but to analyze what information this young person provided. That is much more important than to think about how he will escape his current place of stay. If in the next days this person leaves the airport by plane or by boat or however, this is not so important," the Venezuelan leader remarked.

Snowden has captivated the world’s press after leaking data on the NSA’s mass surveillance program in May.

"He has raised a red flag in time, revealing that the US elite have mechanisms which they intend to use in order to spy on the world," said Maduro.

He added that some of the things which Snowden revealed seemed like "science fiction" at first.

“Now we have to think what other things there might be that could affect the peace of the people...We have to really think what other secrets - from John Kerry or Joe Biden - this young man keeps. Secrets of an empire that is morally and ethically in a decline."

Snowden arrived in Moscow from Hong Kong on June 23, traveling on special documents given to him by the Ecuadorian government as his US passport was voided.

However, Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa said on Monday that any help granted to Snowden had been purely accidental and that no more aid would be given to him. He stressed that the Ecuadorian consul in London acted outside their authority when they issued the travel documents to Snowden.

Obama's Afraid of YOU | Snowden's Big Brother Alert

Abby Martin gives an update on the Edward Snowden case, calling out the corporate media for their biased coverage, and citing seeking asylum is a human right guaranteed under the International Declaration of Human rights.