Venezuela Offers Snowden Asylum

schweizweld

schweizweld

TNPer
Venezuela has said they will offer Edward Snowden Asylum. Nicaragua has also said they may grant him asylum. I hope he makes it there safely. I think he did the right thing, the government should require a warrant before spying on people. If you had to leave your home country what country would you choose for asylum? I would pick Switzerland because they have great food, scenery, low crime and taxes, great public transport and I can speak French.
 
Iceland gave asylum to Bobby Fisher even though they're close allies. I'm Canadian and I heard Canada doesn't have treaties with the UK, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand, which is surprising since all but Ireland are Commonwealth countries.
 
Just heard that Bolivia and Nicaragua have also offered Snowden Asylum. Someone on CNN said that Venezuela would be the best choice because they have nice beaches and bed and breakfasts. Wonder if his girlfriend and family will be able to visit him if he manages to get there.
 
Espionage would normally be considered a political offence (almost a textbook example), so extradition should not be possible even if your chosen destination country had a treaty with the US.

Then again, certain nations have a worrying habit of bending the definition of political crime whenever it suits them. >_>
 
schweizweld:
Venezuela has said they will offer Edward Snowden Asylum. Nicaragua has also said they may grant him asylum. I hope he makes it there safely. I think he did the right thing, the government should require a warrant before spying on people. If you had to leave your home country what country would you choose for asylum? I would pick Switzerland because they have great food, scenery, low crime and taxes, great public transport and I can speak French.
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My first choice of a country to go to if I have to flee the Surveillance State/Police State in the US would probably be Belize.

Then again, I have pre-1986 dual citizenship with Canada and dual citizenship with the UK which means I can go anywhere in the Commonwealth without too much difficulty. I also have dual citizenship with Italy. Actually, Russia looks like a good place because it's wide-open for unfettered capitalism!
[/quote]Heh - Obama did get a warrant: a blanket warrant that allowed everyone to be spied on (and this is really scary when you think about it). In fact, the warrant allows the NSA, FBI, DHS, CIA, and every other three letter agency to spy on everyone, everywhere in the world, US Citizen or not.

Did I mention that that this blanket warrant was issued by a secret homeland security court by a judge that shall remain anonymous?

This all reminds me of the East German VOPO and STASI, and the KGB....The Gestapo... :unsure:

Horrah for Snowdon for blowing the lid off the crapper on this one! :winner:
 
I always wondered, even if someone does get asylum, how do they survive in a country where they don't even speak the language or know the culture? Earning a living in your own country is hard enough.
 
If you're famous, somebody will give you a job otherwise you are on your own. At the begining of the war of Afghanistan, I've heard about an Afghan general who was living from welfare in a small French town. :blink:

England.
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Choose your country carefully according to the nation chasing you. As French citizen, I just need to cross the borderland. Nobody cares anymore about French foreign policy.
 
schweizweld:
I always wondered, even if someone does get asylum, how do they survive in a country where they don't even speak the language or know the culture?
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Like any other migrant, is my guess.
 
Sounds fun. I'm just sitting in my own country and watching amusedly.

The whole asylum situation made me check up on Julian Assange. Hope the Ecuadorian embassy in London is comfy.
 
Russia may give temporary asylum if he stops revealing information. I could handle the cold weather because I'm Canadian and Russian food is pretty good, but Russian is very hard to learn, and I like beer, nor vodka. Gérard Dépardieu got Russian citizenship to avoid French taxes, but it would have made more sense to go to Switzerland.
 
At first, I found it odd that Russia would offer asylum to Snowden if he would stop revealing information, that is, until I figured out that the Russians use the same snooping techniques the US does (and is also probably in on it too).

Then again, the Russians are tired of listening to or hearing about Snowden. :P
 
Probably not Venezuela; if I recall correctly, it's got one of the highest kidnapping rates and is one of the most corrupt countries in the world, along with the democratic issues left behind by Chavismo. I do think I'd look into South America, though -- I know enough Spanish to hold a conversation, which is more than I can say for any other language (Learning Icelandic? Not a chance!).
 
schweizweld:
Gérard Dépardieu got Russian citizenship to avoid French taxes, but it would have made more sense to go to Switzerland.
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Switzerland is no more a safe place for French, Swiss government collaborates with french IRS. And you can't meet crazy people like Kadyrov in Switzerland.

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For Snowden, I think he chose the safer choice. Unlike the South American nations, Russia absolutly won't see a pro-US government in a close future.
 
Mr. Freeze:
For Snowden, I think he chose the safer choice. Unlike the South American nations, Russia absolutly won't see a pro-US government in a close future.
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Snowden is moving to Venezuela though, in which the anti-US party has a strong hold over the nation.
 
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