America
Snowden wants guaranteed fair trial in US
Moscow, March 4
Edward Snowden, the
ex-analyst in the National Security Agency (NSA), has been a political
refugee in Moscow for nearly two years, but wants to return back to his
native US on the condition that he is guaranteed a fair trial, his
Russian lawyer Anatoly Kucherena 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 espionage committed by the US
government, wants to have a fair trial, according to Russia Today.
For
now, according to Kucherena, "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
Kucherena.
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.