Edward Snowden and Russian Citizenship

During this time, he began gathering intelligence on various NSA activities. After gathering the requisite information, he revealed in 2013 that the NSA was carrying out widespread surveillance with the stated goal of addressing terrorism threats. One of these programmes was the Prism Program, which supposedly involved the US government gathering user data from significant websites and corporate giants like Google, Yahoo, and Apple. He also revealed that the NSA had been snooping on Chinese computers since 2009 and that even America's closest ally, Germany's then-Chancellor Angela Merkel, had been spied on.

Following these revelations, the US administration started receiving harsh criticism from across the world. In this context, it is critical to comprehend the then-stance of the government on the issue, as well as the reactions of US society and the US judiciary.

First, the US government filed charges against Snowden for theft of US government property, illegal disclosure of national defence information, and intentional disclosure of sensitive communications intelligence to the Guardian and the Washington Post, each of which carries a possible 10-year sentence. In addition to these charges, he was charged with espionage. Second, when the revelations were made, Barack Obama was in power. According to the Britannica report, while the then-President was dismissive of Snowden's techniques, he announced the formation of an independent panel to investigate the US government's monitoring practices. The panel recommended that the mass collection of telephone information be halted and that sensitive programmes, such as those targeting friendly foreign leaders, be subject to more scrutiny. (Ray, 2022) In addition, the publishers who published these Snowden revelations were given the Pulitzer Prize for Public Service in 2014 for their work in covering the NSA leaks. (Ray, 2022) Moreover, the US court of appeals declared in 2020 that the NSA's operation to tap Americans' phones was illegal. (Singh, 2022)

USA to Russia: The Fleeing History of Snowden

Snowden realised that residing in the United States would make it impossible for him to protect himself and his family, so he fled the country in 2013 and went into hiding, first in Hong Kong and then in Russia, where he stayed for more than a month.

But before addressing Russia's part, it is crucial to understand why Snowden made the revelation in the first place, given that he was living the good life in the US. This question's answer is that Snowden believed the American intelligence agency had gone too far and had unjustly violated civil freedoms. Additionally, he stated that he did not think the former Obama administration would have taken action if he had filed an internal whistleblower report instead. Given that he was not doing anything wrong, he further requested that the publishers reveal his identity. He said, “I have no intention of hiding who I am since I know I have done nothing wrong.”  He added, “I really want the focus to be on these documents and the debate that I hope this will trigger among citizens around the globe about what kind of world we want to live in.” (Guardian, 2013)

How is Russia involved in all of this?

As was previously mentioned, Snowden fled to Russia in 2013. After arriving in Moscow, he was required to stay at the airport for a month before being given temporary refuge. He was given residency privileges in 2020, and more recently, in September 2022, he was also given Russian citizenship by decree of Russian President Vladimir Putin. This means he is now a Russian citizen.

Although there is nothing wrong with granting citizenship to Snowden, the situation has grown more serious as everyone is aware of the tense relationship that currently exists between the United States and Russia, which is getting more so due to the ongoing crisis between Russia and Ukraine. For instance, as part of its invasion strategy, Russia recently declared a partial mobilisation for which 300,000 military reservists—in Russia, practically every man is considered a reservist until age 65—as well as individuals with some military experience, specialised military abilities, or dual citizenship, too, were called to join the war. With this, many people wondered, “Will Snowden be mobilised?”  Will Snowden now be required to enlist in the Russian army? ... as well as a myriad of additional questions.

However, according to Snowden's lawyer, Anatoliy Kucherena, Snowden has never served in the Russian armed forces and thus is not qualified to be mobilized. (Singh, 2022) Furthermore, because Snowden has expertise in computer consulting, many feel Russia would not be interested in enlisting Snowden in the mobilisation. In addition to the mobilisation issue, the US is dubious about Snowden's involvement in any secret disclosures or collaboration with Russia. Snowden, however, has made it abundantly clear where he stands by claiming that he has not aided Russian intelligence. Additionally, he continues to support his demand for dual citizenship.

Conclusion

The preceding discussion has brought to light some critical issues that we, as ordinary individuals, face in the modern world. First, is it wrong to expose any agency's wrongdoings? The state was created to assure everyone's welfare, but what if, in the name of protecting, it infringes on the same rights that it was supposed to protect?

Furthermore, three things should be mentioned in relation to Snowden: first, the US and Russia must finalise a legal agreement for deporting those guilty of a crime. Second, the Whistleblower Act of the USA must be strengthened more so that individuals like Snowden will not have to question its effectiveness. Third, given that there is already a war going on, bilateral problems should be resolved bilaterally rather than being used as fuel to escalate the situation.

References

• Guardian, T. (2013, June 11). Edward Snowden: the whistleblower behind the NSA surveillance revelations. Retrieved from The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/jun/09/edward-snowden-nsa-whistleblower-surveillance
• Ray, M. (2022, December 02). Edward Snowden. Retrieved from Britannica: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Edward-Snowden
• Singh, R. (2022, September 27). Who is Edward Snowden, the American granted Russian citizenship by Putin? Retrieved from Indian Express : https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/explained-global/who-is-edward-snowden-the-american-granted-russian-citizenship-by-putin-8175114/

Pic Courtsey-Eugene at unsplash.com

(The views expressed are thsoe of the author and do nto represnet views of CESCUBE.)