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Venezuela, whose President Nicholas Maduro has offered asylum, now seems the most likely destination for the man, whose intelligence disclosures have given the world an unprecedented look into the massive global surveillance machine run by the US spy agency. But the real challenge, according to many, is how Snowden will make his way from Moscow to any of the possible countries willing to take him in, which also include Bolivian and Nicaragua.
Wikileaks, which has been offering guidance and legal assistance to Snowden since he left Hong Kong over two weeks ago, has indicated that plans are underway for some kind of effort. On Tuesday night, the group tweeted:
Other supporters of Snowden's have suggested raising funds for a private aircraft that could deliver Snowden using a flight path free from US interference.
As USA Today reports:
For Snowden to leave for South America, he would need for Venezuela to issue him travel documents and he would need to find a way to get there. The only direct commercial flight from Moscow stops in Havana, Cuba.
The Moscow-Havana flight goes over Europe and the U.S., which could cause complications. Some European countries refused to allow Bolivian President Evo Morales to fly through their airspace on his way home from Moscow last week because of suspicions that Snowden was on his plane.
Despite that, no other details have become available at this point to indicate whether or not Snowden has, in fact, officially accepted Venezuela's asylum offer.
The bigger question, however, is how Snowden would possibly get to South America if and when the decision is made.
Glenn Greenwald, the Guardian journalist who broke the NSA story after being contacted by Snowden and given access to the NSA documents, said in a video interview that Snowden's acceptance of Maduro's offer for aslym was the "most plausible" now available to him.
The bigger issue, said Greenwald, is getting there.
"Figuring out how to get to the country that has offered him asylum without the rogue, lawless empire--that has proven itself willing to engage in rogue behavior--being able to stop him. That's the challenge," said Greenwald referring to the episode with Morales' plane that followed pressure from US amid rumors that Snowden was possibly on board.
Amnesty International and others have called the US attempts to thwart Snowden's asylum an affront to international law and a person's right to seek protection from undue persecution.
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Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |

Venezuela, whose President Nicholas Maduro has offered asylum, now seems the most likely destination for the man, whose intelligence disclosures have given the world an unprecedented look into the massive global surveillance machine run by the US spy agency. But the real challenge, according to many, is how Snowden will make his way from Moscow to any of the possible countries willing to take him in, which also include Bolivian and Nicaragua.
Wikileaks, which has been offering guidance and legal assistance to Snowden since he left Hong Kong over two weeks ago, has indicated that plans are underway for some kind of effort. On Tuesday night, the group tweeted:
Other supporters of Snowden's have suggested raising funds for a private aircraft that could deliver Snowden using a flight path free from US interference.
As USA Today reports:
For Snowden to leave for South America, he would need for Venezuela to issue him travel documents and he would need to find a way to get there. The only direct commercial flight from Moscow stops in Havana, Cuba.
The Moscow-Havana flight goes over Europe and the U.S., which could cause complications. Some European countries refused to allow Bolivian President Evo Morales to fly through their airspace on his way home from Moscow last week because of suspicions that Snowden was on his plane.
Despite that, no other details have become available at this point to indicate whether or not Snowden has, in fact, officially accepted Venezuela's asylum offer.
The bigger question, however, is how Snowden would possibly get to South America if and when the decision is made.
Glenn Greenwald, the Guardian journalist who broke the NSA story after being contacted by Snowden and given access to the NSA documents, said in a video interview that Snowden's acceptance of Maduro's offer for aslym was the "most plausible" now available to him.
The bigger issue, said Greenwald, is getting there.
"Figuring out how to get to the country that has offered him asylum without the rogue, lawless empire--that has proven itself willing to engage in rogue behavior--being able to stop him. That's the challenge," said Greenwald referring to the episode with Morales' plane that followed pressure from US amid rumors that Snowden was possibly on board.
Amnesty International and others have called the US attempts to thwart Snowden's asylum an affront to international law and a person's right to seek protection from undue persecution.
_______________________________________

Venezuela, whose President Nicholas Maduro has offered asylum, now seems the most likely destination for the man, whose intelligence disclosures have given the world an unprecedented look into the massive global surveillance machine run by the US spy agency. But the real challenge, according to many, is how Snowden will make his way from Moscow to any of the possible countries willing to take him in, which also include Bolivian and Nicaragua.
Wikileaks, which has been offering guidance and legal assistance to Snowden since he left Hong Kong over two weeks ago, has indicated that plans are underway for some kind of effort. On Tuesday night, the group tweeted:
Other supporters of Snowden's have suggested raising funds for a private aircraft that could deliver Snowden using a flight path free from US interference.
As USA Today reports:
For Snowden to leave for South America, he would need for Venezuela to issue him travel documents and he would need to find a way to get there. The only direct commercial flight from Moscow stops in Havana, Cuba.
The Moscow-Havana flight goes over Europe and the U.S., which could cause complications. Some European countries refused to allow Bolivian President Evo Morales to fly through their airspace on his way home from Moscow last week because of suspicions that Snowden was on his plane.
Despite that, no other details have become available at this point to indicate whether or not Snowden has, in fact, officially accepted Venezuela's asylum offer.
The bigger question, however, is how Snowden would possibly get to South America if and when the decision is made.
Glenn Greenwald, the Guardian journalist who broke the NSA story after being contacted by Snowden and given access to the NSA documents, said in a video interview that Snowden's acceptance of Maduro's offer for aslym was the "most plausible" now available to him.
The bigger issue, said Greenwald, is getting there.
"Figuring out how to get to the country that has offered him asylum without the rogue, lawless empire--that has proven itself willing to engage in rogue behavior--being able to stop him. That's the challenge," said Greenwald referring to the episode with Morales' plane that followed pressure from US amid rumors that Snowden was possibly on board.
Amnesty International and others have called the US attempts to thwart Snowden's asylum an affront to international law and a person's right to seek protection from undue persecution.
_______________________________________