Brazil No Intention Of Giving Snowden Asylum
Despite Edward Snowden's offer to help in the investigation of the U.S. government's alleged spying on Brazil and its people, the Brazilian government has no plans of granting the former U.S. National Security Agency contractor asylum.
Folha de S. Paulo reported some unnamed government officials said the Brazilian government is not interested in probing the mass Internet surveillance programs that Snowden leaked to the public in June 2013. It was further reported that the government has no intention of granting asylum to Snowden.
Snowden's temporary political asylum in Russia is about to expire in August 2014. He had formerly asked the Brazilian government for political asylum but noted the government did not reply to the request.
In an "Open Letter to the Brazilian People," Snowden expressed his desire to help in the investigation of NSA's alleged spying on Brazil and Pres. Dilma Rousseff.
"Many Brazilian senators agree, and have asked for my assistance with their investigations of suspected crimes against Brazilian citizens. I have expressed my willingness to assist wherever appropriate and lawful, but unfortunately the United Stated government has worked very hard to limit my ability to do so - going so far as to force down the Presidential plane of Evo Morales to prevent me from travelling to Latin America! Until a country grants permanent political asylum, the U.S. government will continue to interfere with my ability to speak," Snowden said in his letter.
Snowden had formerly released evidence that U.S. National Security Agency's (NSA) spied on Pres. Dilma Rousseff's email and cellphone and hacked into the computing network of state-run oil company, Petrobras. This angered Brazillians and caused damage to the relationship between Brazil and the U.S.
The former NSA contractor's letter had prompted support from the Brazilian people and some members of the Congress.
Avaaz, a Web site for public petitions, started an online signature campaign appealing to Pres. Rousseff to grant Snowden asylum.