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Russian lawyer sends invitation to Snowden’s father, friends and attorney

Kucherena said once again that there were no legal grounds for extraditing Snowden to the United States
Photo EPA/ITAR-TASS
Photo EPA/ITAR-TASS

MOSCOW, August 6 (Itar-Tass) - Head of Public Chamber commission, lawyer Anatoly Kucherena said on Tuesday that he had sent an invitation to visit Russia to former CIA employee Edward Snowden’s father, as well to his friends and lawyer.

“Last night, I sent invitations to his father, as well as to his friends and his lawyer, and I am looking forward to seeing them in Russia to settle some major issues,” Kucherena told reporters. “Snowden misses his family and is looking forward to seeing his father. We are communicating with his father practically every second day,” the lawyer said. “They will be settling all issues, including household and other ones, at a family council. I don’t know as of yet where this will be organized,” he added. He also refused to give Snowden’s whereabouts, saying only he is “on the Russian territory”.

Kucherena said once again that there were no legal grounds for extraditing Snowden to the United States. “I said: refer to the international legal acts that could be the basis for Russia to consider the issue of Snowden’s possible extradition to the US government. We have not received any request as of yet,” said Kucherena, who consults the fugitive American.

He expressed regrets that the Russian side had not managed to start “discussing legal issues with the American side”. “We heard only a political statement by the US Department of State and nothing else, which was only worsening Edward’s situation in the transit zone, as he (Snowden) considered it as a threat to his safety,” Kucherena said. According to him, Snowden is currently “in a safe place, he has registered at his place of residence, recovers himself, and reads books”.

Last Thursday Snowden was granted temporary asylum in Russia. Prior to that he had spent over a month in the transit zone of Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport.