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India turns down request for political asylum by NSA whistleblower

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ANI Washington

India has reportedly turned down request for political asylum made by NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden.

External Affairs Ministry spokesman Syed Akbaruddin said that India has carefully examined the asylum request and has decided to turn it down, ABC News reports.

He further said that the government has concluded that it sees no reason to accede to that request.

According to the report, WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, who publicly claimed that he supports Snowden and has helped him escape Hong Kong, said that Snowden has applied to more than 20 countries including India and China for a political asylum.

Snowden has been charged with offences related to the violation of US Espionage Act and has since been on a run to Hong Kong and recently in Moscow in a bid to claim asylum in Ecuador and excape US extradition.

 

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First Published: Jul 02 2013 | 4:32 PM IST

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