Snowden's lawyer says reports of his client's extradition are rumors
Lawyer Anatoly Kucherena, representing the interests of ex-CIA employee and notorious whistleblower Edward Snowden said that there was no merit to the information from western media that Moscow is considering Snowden’s extradition to the USA as a present to President Trump.
“Russia has no legal basis for extraditing Snowden. All these talks are simple speculations. This is someone’s wishful thinking,” Kucherena told Interfax on Saturday, February 12. “Someone in Washington, in the USA really wants that innocent person to be handed over to the USA.”
Kucherena added that, “Edward Snowden lives in the territory of Russia totally legally, does not violate any laws and no matter who practices these speculations I have just one thing to say: Russia has no reason to extradite him to the USA.”
“Russia does not smuggle people, though American special services constantly try to drag us into different provocations,” he said.
Snowden’s lawyer reminded the media that the former employee of the CIA and the National Security Agency was granted a residence permit in the Russian Federation. “And the status he has today in the territory of Russia allows him to enjoy all of the rights and responsibilities due to all Russian citizens,” Kucherena stressed.