Edward Snowden: Living in Russia Is 'Great'

I told whistleblower Edward Snowden to escape to Russia or risk being kidnapped and killed, claims Wikileaks founder Assange
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...-killed-claims-Wikileaks-founder-Assange.html

  • Assange claims he advised Snowden to choose Russia over Latin America
  • Snowden was apparently concerned over the PR implications of Moscow
  • Wikileaks founder has been hiding in Ecuadorian embassy since 2012
  • He now claims he can no longer use the balcony for fear of assassination

Wikileaks founder Julian Assange has revealed how he told Edward Snowden to flee to Russia - saying otherwise he risked being 'kidnapped or possibly killed'.

Assange claims he told former NSA contractor Snowden to choose the controversial destination after he leaked details of the U.S. government's wide-ranging surveillance programme to the media in 2013.

Snowden had apparently mooted Latin America as a possibility, but Assange feared it left him vulnerable to being kidnapped by the CIA.

The Wikileaks founder, who has been hiding in the Ecuadorian embassy since June 2012, told Giles Whittel in The Times Magazine: 'Snowden was well aware of the spin that would be put on it if he took asylum in Russia.

'He preferred Latin America, but my advice was that he should take asylum in Russia despite the negative PR consequences, because my assessment is that he had a significant risk of being kidnapped from Latin America on CIA orders.'

Questioned further, Assange added he feared Snowden could be 'kidnapped or possibly killed'.
 
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