This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jun/12/edward-snowden-us-extradition-fight

The article has changed 9 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 1 Version 2
Edward Snowden vows to fight anticipated US extradition request Edward Snowden vows not to 'hide from justice' amid new hacking claims
(35 minutes later)
The NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden will fight an expected move by the US to have him extradited from Hong Kong, he said in an interview on Wednesday. The NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden vowed to fight an expected move by the US to have him extradited from Hong Kong, in a new interview published on Wednesday.
In his first comments since revealing his identify in the Guardian at the weekend, Snowden told the South China Morning Post that he was not in Hong Kong to "hide from justice" and said he would put his trust in the territory's legal system. In his first comments since revealing his identify in the Guardian at the weekend, Snowden told the South China Morning Post that he was not in Hong Kong to "hide from justice" and would put his trust in its legal system.
As a debate raged in the US over whether he should be praised or prosecuted for his actions, Snowden told Post reporter Lana Lam: "I'm neither traitor nor hero. I'm an American." He also claimed that the US had been hacking Hong Kong and China since 2009, and accused US of "bullying" the territory to return him because it did not want local authorities to learn of its cyber activities.
In a preview of the interview posted on its website on Wednesday, the paper promised more explosive details about US surveillance targets. As a debate raged in the US over whether Snowden should be praised or prosecuted for his actions, he told the paper's reporter, Lana Lam: "I'm neither traitor nor hero. I'm an American."
Snowden, 29, was a computer technical assistant working with Booz Allen Hamilton, on contract to the National Security Agency (NSA). He left his job and home in Hawaii in May, set up camp in Hong Kong and provided the Guardian with top-secret documents that led to a series of revelations last week about the extent of US surveillance. Snowden claimed that the US had hacked hundreds of targets in Hong Kong – including public officials, a university, businesses and students in the city – and on the mainland. These were part of more than 61,000 NSA hacking operations globally, he alleged.
For three weeks, Snowden was staying in a hotel in the Kowloon district. But after identifying himself as the whistleblower in a video posted by the Guardian on Sunday, he felt he needed to move to a more secure location, and checked out of his hotel on Monday. "We hack network backbones – like huge internet routers, basically – that give us access to the communications of hundreds of thousands of computers without having to hack every single one," he said.
On the face of it, Hong Kong appeared a strange choice for Snowden since it has an extradition treaty with the US and leans towards co-operating with US requests. The Post said it had seen a document which, Snowden alleged, supported his claims. The Post said it had not verified the document, and did not immediately publish it.
But Snowden told the South China Morning Post that he had no intention of hiding from justice. He said: "People who think I made a mistake in picking Hong Kong as a location misunderstand my intentions. I am not here to hide from justice. I am here to reveal criminality." Snowden said he was releasing the information to demonstrate "the hypocrisy of the US government when it claims that it does not target civilian infrastructure, unlike its adversaries".
Snowden said in his interview that he trusted the system. "My intention is to ask the courts and people of Hong Kong to decide my fate. I have been given no reason to doubt your system." A senior Chinese official said last week he had "mountains of data" on cyber-attacks from the US, after Washington turned up the pressure over hacking by China.
Although China has had sovereignty over Hong Kong since 1997, it has a different judicial system from mainland China and a tradition of free speech. Beijing normally does not become involved in extradition hearings but could make an exception in this case because of its high-profile nature, choosing either to block it or to grant any US request. No extradition request by the US has yet been filed. Jen Psaki, a spokeswoman for the State Department in Washington, said it was not aware of the hacking claims and could not comment directly, but she rejected the idea that such an incident would represent double standards given recent US criticism of Chinese cyber attacks.
Even some human rights groups have questioned why he chose Hong Kong, given its control by China. But Snowden said he had no regrets about his choice. "I have had many opportunities to flee HK, but I would rather stay and fight the United States government in the courts, because I have faith in Hong Kong's rule of law," he said. "There is a difference between going after economic data and the issues of surveillance that the president has addressed which are about trying to stop people doing us harm," she said.
Extradition proceedings in Hong Kong can be swift, taking only a matter of months. The Hong Kong government has so far made no comment about the case. Hong Kong's chief executive, Leung Chun-ying, on a visit to New York, repeatedly refused to comment on the case in a Bloomberg Television interview. Snowden, 29, was a computer technical assistant working with Booz Allen Hamilton, on contract to the National Security Agency. He left his job and home in Hawaii in May, set up camp in Hong Kong and provided the Guardian with top-secret documents which led to a series of revelations about the extent of US surveillance last week.
Snowden may have opted to give the interview to the Post to help build up a case for his being allowed to remain in Hong Kong. Opinion there is divided between those expressing support and those who would like him to leave. Snowden is turning into a cause célèbre, with a demonstration in support of him planned for Saturday. For three weeks, he stayed in a hotel in the Kowloon district. But after identifying himself as the whistleblower in a video posted by the Guardian on Sunday, he felt he needed to move to a more secure location, and checked out on Monday.
It would be difficult for the Hong Kong police to arrest Snowden until such time the US makes an extradition request, as he has committed no crime there. In theory, he could attempt to leave Hong Kong by buying an airline ticket and presenting himself at the airport. But it is likely he would be prevented from boarding the plane. On the face of it, Hong Kong appeared a strange choice for Snowdon as it has a surrender treaty with the US and leans towards co-operating with US requests.
Similarly, if he were to attempt to move to mainland China, it is likely he would be stopped at the border. In any case, Snowden told the South China Morning Post that he planned to stay in Hong Kong until he was asked to leave. But in his hour-long interview, Snowden told the South China Morning Post: "People who think I made a mistake in picking Hong Kong as a location misunderstand my intentions. I am not here to hide from justice. I am here to reveal criminality."
He added: "My intention is to ask the courts and people of Hong Kong to decide my fate. I have been given no reason to doubt your system."
Although China has had sovereignty over Hong Kong since 1997, the territory retains a separate legal system and tradition of free speech. Beijing normally does not become involved in surrender hearings – technically not extradition as Hong Kong is not a sovereign state – but could make an exception given the high-profile nature of this case.
Even some human rights groups have questioned why he chose Hong Kong, given its control by China. But Snowden added: "I have had many opportunities to flee HK, but I would rather stay and fight the United States government in the courts, because I have faith in Hong Kong's rule of law."
The Hong Kong government has made no comment yet about the case. The chief executive of the Hong Kong government, Leung Chun-ying, on a visit to New York, repeatedly refused to comment on the case in a Bloomberg Television interview.
Snowden may have opted to give the interview to the Post to help build up a case for his being allowed to remain in Hong Kong, where opinion is divided between those expressing support and those who would like him to leave. He is turning into a cause celebre there, with a demonstration in support of him planned for Saturday.
It would be difficult for the Hong Kong police to arrest him until such time as the US makes a request for his return, since he has committed no crime in the city. In theory, he could attempt to fly out of the city, but it is likely he would be prevented from boarding the plane. 
Similarly, if he were to attempt to move to mainland China, it is likely he would be stopped at the border. In any case, Snowden told the Post that he planned to stay in Hong Kong until he was asked to leave.
Additional reporting by Dan Roberts in Washington
Our editors' picks for the day's top news and commentary delivered to your inbox each morning.Our editors' picks for the day's top news and commentary delivered to your inbox each morning.
Our editors' picks for the day's top news and commentary delivered to your inbox each morning. Enter your email address to subscribe.Our editors' picks for the day's top news and commentary delivered to your inbox each morning. Enter your email address to subscribe.
Our editors' picks for the day's top news and commentary delivered to your inbox every weekday.Our editors' picks for the day's top news and commentary delivered to your inbox every weekday.