Edward Snowden

Since 2013, Edward Snowden has been living in Russia to escape prosecution in the US after leaking secret files related to the US National Security Agency (NSA) and the CIA

President Vladimir Putin has granted Russian citizenship to former US security contractor Edward Snowden, according to a decree signed by the Russian leader on Monday. Snowden is one of 75 foreign nationals listed by the decree as being granted Russian citizenship. The decree was published on an official government website. Snowden, a former contractor with the US National Security Agency, has been living in Russia since 2013 to escape prosecution in the US after leaking classified documents detailing government surveillance programs. He was granted permanent residency in 2020 and said at the time that he planned to apply for Russian citizenship, without renouncing his US citizenship.

NFT stands for non-fungible token

Snowden, 37, received notification Thursday his application to remain in the country indefinitely and unconditionally has been approved, his lawyer Anatoly Kucherena said by phone

Snowden unsuccessfully applied for asylum in France in 2013 under Macron's predecessor, Francois Hollande. He has also sought asylum in several other countries

The book is unlikely to change anyone's mind about Mr Snowden, but when it comes to privacy and speech and the Constitution, his story clarifies the stakes

The court, based in Luxembourg, is expected to rule on whether "standard contractual clauses" governing data transfers comply with European data protection regulations

They have also applied for refugee status in Canada

However, Snowden's ACLU lawyer, Ben Wizner, said that they were unaware of any such plans

The former NSA whistleblower has been living in exile in Russia since the summer of 2013

Norwegian PEN organisation awarded him the Ossietzky Prize for 2016 and invited him to receive the award in Oslo on November 18

Norway was one of the countries where Snowden sought asylum after fleeing the United States in 2013

Snowden has also been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize

He intends to vote in the US presidential election, but did not say which candidate he favours

Snowden mocked the committee's findings on Twitter, challenging several points

Snowden's attorney blasted the report, saying it was an attempt to discredit a genuine American hero

Josh Earnest, press secretary of WH, said he should return to the US and face the very serious charges that he is facing

Snowden has been living in exile in Russia since June 2013

The device is being created with the help of researcher Andrew Huang and was revealed at an event at the MIT Media Lab in the US