Snowden wants guaranteed fair trial in US

Moscow, March 4: Edward Snowden, the ex-alyst in the tiol Security Agency (NSA), has been a political refugee in Moscow for nearly two years, but wants to return back to his tive US on the condition that he is guaranteed a fair trial, his Russian lawyer Atoly Kuchere said on Tuesday.

“He has a desire to come back and we are doing everything possible to make that happen,” said the Russian lawyer in a press conference during which he also said that the former NSA contractor, who leaked massive amounts of classified documents on communications espioge committed by the US government, wants to have a fair trial, according to Russia Today.

For now, according to Kuchere, “the only promise made by the attorney general of the US is not the fair trial, but that Snowden will not be executed”.

Since arriving in Russia on June 23, 2013, fleeing US jurisdiction, 31-year-old Snowden lives in a clandestine location in Russia, granted temporary asylum by Moscow authorities.

His lawyer said on Tuesday that although he lives as a free man, he must hide the details of his life for security reasons. Of course he adheres to security measures, but he also travels, goes shopping, and visits museums and theatres. He is a free man, said Kuchere. Snowden received in July 2014 a residence permit for a period of three years, which would allow him to stay in Russia until August 1, 2017. (IANS)