MFA: Snowden did not seek political asylum in Belarus
Fugitive former CIA-analyst Edward Snowden did not approach Belarus government with asylum request.
Mr Snowden filed no request with the Belarusian authorities for political asylum, Belarus MFA spokesman Andrei Savinykh told the Russian news agency RIA Novosti on Monday.
Earlier today, Belarusian Green activists called on Aliaksandr Lukashenka to grant political asylum to Mr Snowden on the grounds that "it could become a candid act of support for the decent and honest man to prove that Belarus' foreign policy is based on ethical principles."
Edward Snowden has leaked thousands of classified intelligence documents. The leaks have led to revelations that the US is systematically seizing vast amounts of phone and web data, reports BBC News. Mr Snowden first fled to Hong Kong and then to Moscow where he has been for about a week, reportedly in the Moscow airport transit area.
Photo: Reuters
