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White House 'extremely disappointed' with Snowden asylum
Published time: August 01, 2013 16:51
The White House is extremely disappointed that the Russian government would take this step despite USs official and private requests to expel him, White House spokesperson Jay Carney said.
Carney stressed the US did not view Edward Snowden, who was granted temporary asylum in Russia on Thursday, as a whistleblower or dissident saying the NSA former contractor is accused of leaking classified information in his home country.
"We see this as an unfortunate development and we are extremely disappointed by it," Carney said adding the White House was set to contact the Russian authorities.
Carney stated that while no scheduling announcements were being made, the US is inspecting the worth of a summit with Russia. "We are evaluating the utility of the summit in light of this," he said.
...
http://rt.com/usa/white-house-snowden-asylum-918/
Details to follow
MORE: White House is set to soon contact Russian authorities regarding #Snowden's asylum http://on.rt.com/wb648a
Carney clarifies that #G20 in St Pete is still on Obama calendar, but that Moscow bilat w #Putin is under review
Russia didn't give the US a heads up that #Snowden would b allowed to leave the airport, @PressSec says
"His level of disappointment is expressed in words I just spoke," Carney says of Obama, who had spoken w Putin on #snowden
Carney says #snowden affair threatens to "undermine" us-Russia cooperation, like that shown after Boston marathon bombing
State Dept spox Marie Harf: no announcement yet on 2+2 meetings w/#Russia, we're evaluating utility of that after #Snowden development
Octafish
(55,745 posts)Un-democratic, to say the least.
HangOnKids
(4,291 posts)librechik
(30,678 posts)if they aren't too scared.
Catherina
(35,568 posts)sabrina 1
(62,325 posts)as he will be free to leave and roam around the city if he wants. Britain being our partner in all of Bush's crimes, and more inclined to protect Genocidal Maniacs like Pinochet than Journalists who report actual facts, was a bad choice for Assange.
Whistle Blowers of the future are learning some valuable information from all of this. Even Assange still believed he would receive justice in Britain, big mistake.
The old Colonial Western nations it has become apparent, cannot act without permission from the US. They have become pathetic puppets of the US. That was apparent in their treatment of the President of Bolivia.
From an Embassy in Russia he can get to a plane if he wishes, that might be able to by-passy Europe and the US.
HangOnKids
(4,291 posts)Welcome to disappointment White House! Lots of folks feelin' that way these days.
allin99
(894 posts)Catherina
(35,568 posts)specifically as related to children, this shameful, regressive law covers colorful Pride parades and Outreach programs for teens but it does not put Gay people in prison.
Russia has a lot of catching up to do and the situation's not good. They're about 30 years behind us but we were behind for a shamefully long time too.
Homosexual acts between consenting males were legalized in 1993. Conservative assholes like Gennady Raikov tried to overturn that for years but they're about as popular as our assholes here. In 2009, their parliament rejected a first attempt to criminalize gay *propaganda*. This new law is a big step back but unfortunately it's supported by 88% of the population.
Here's the important part:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-22862210
Regressive, shameful especially since it affects Outreach Programs but it's not about locking up Gay people.
Imo, the best thing we could do is flood the place with LGBT right now, not abandon them.
THEY WILL GET THERE!
allin99
(894 posts)b/c they were being "out" and saying gays should have rights in public. It's not hard to find other ways to use that law against gays. wearing a pin, speaking out loud, publishing literature, affection in public. Almost anything done in public to indicate you are a homosexual can land you in prison.
they don't throw people in jail for *being* gay, but you basically have to hide it, and if you don't you are subject to charges under the law.
sabrina 1
(62,325 posts)See Saudi Arabia, where the punishment is death, or Uganda eg. Why are we allied with such nations? Or Uzbekistan.
If laws against Gays were a deterrent to the US, we would cut off ties to half our allies. But then, we still have a long way to go here in the US. Progress has been made, but the hatred and bigotry still remains in considerably large portions of this society.
allin99
(894 posts)at least that's how i remember it.
sabrina 1
(62,325 posts)not much was done other than some 'stern lectures'.
US Religious Fundies are being financed from somewhere to work against Gays in Uganda. Not sure what can be done about that if the funding is private. I sure hope they are not receiving any tax exemptions for their 'work' in Uganda.
Been following this for a while and am not seeing anything about cutting off their tax exemption status eg, which was suggested a while ago.
allin99
(894 posts)when we don't so much about other countries.
This may be a conversation for another thread, but i keep wondering about this...
why are so many countries in North Africa and the middle east still so barbaric? (aka, not just the treatment of gays, but the bizarre treatment of and rules for women..??? i can only think it must be the heat? i don't see anything else they have in common that they don't have in common with other countries.
sabrina 1
(62,325 posts)See the treatment of African Americans still within the living memories of many Americans. And the treatment of Gays who are only beginning to get the same rights as all Americans.
It's hard to explain bigotry but imo, it has to be taught for the most part. There are eg, some very courageous activists for Gay rights in Uganda. They will be the ones who begin to reverse the process, and the input from the US Government has helped, for which we get credit.
However the US should looking for ways to cut of any kind of non-profit status for the US Fundie Christians who are having a huge impact on anti-Gay bigotry around the world. We should never view such activities as deserving of any kind of non-profit status. They are in violation of our Hate laws and as such should lose all privileges they claim as religions institutions.
allin99
(894 posts)women are the same race as their male counterparts. things that are different are usually what sets people off, but women of people's same race are their own mothers and daughters. and while most countries have some wack-ass attitudes toward women, the treatment of women in the middle east and north africa are the worst, they are barbaric in a way others are not. (many places in india too).
Catherina
(35,568 posts)I did state it was against activism.
I follow Russian Gay Rights pretty closely, due to personal friendships with some Gays who live there. It's a regressive law, don't get me wrong. Showing affection won't get you arrested. It might get you beaten up, depending on what hateful little shits see you, but we have our own bloody share of that too.
This is when the Russian LGBT community needs our support the most. I hope we give it to them honestly and with full force but when people like McCain are talking about ramping up HRW advocacy for Russian LGBT now, you know people like him aren't coming from an honest place and helping LGBT rights is the last thing on their mind.
allin99
(894 posts)affection and calls the police it can get them arrested under that law. Same way here when people are inconvenienced by a person sitting in the street and we arrest them for loitering, etc. they way guiliani arrested the homeless.
Catherina
(35,568 posts)I'm running to the veggie market right now. I'll be back in about an hour.
cali
(114,904 posts)sabrina 1
(62,325 posts)I think we should cut off all countries with barbaric laws against Gays until they begin to show a willingness to end them.
Saudi Arabia would be a good place to start.
cali
(114,904 posts)about theses laws in Russia.
sabrina 1
(62,325 posts)Seems a bit hypocritical.
How about we start now demanding that no US Official go to Saudi Arabia, or Uganda until they revise their laws?
If people truly cared about the issue we would have seen this kind of 'outrage' long ago. Seems to me they are USING gays for political purposes.
Otherwise they would be devoting the same energy against all of our other 'allies', Iraq eg, what is the new puppet government's attitude towards gays? Or Karzai?
Maybe now is a good time, since the subject came up, to cut off Uganda (where Fundy Christians from the US are working to influence laws against Gays, and to whom we send financial aid?
Otherwise this is nothing but a political ploy by people who care nothing for the issue.
cali
(114,904 posts)my cues from anyone and certainly not from the gov't.
I've posted about everyfuckingthing you bring up. You sure haven't.
Don't lecture me on this. You don't have a leg to stand on and I despise that kind of shit from people who haven't said boo about the persecution of gay folks unless it's about the U.S.
sabrina 1
(62,325 posts)attack me because someone asks you a question.
And yes, this is a subject I have long been involved in, for personal reasons which are none of anyone's business. And torture and Haiti, and other issues I have written about long before I knew you.
I don't care if the 'law just passed'. The law is not the only evidence of bigotry against gays in Russia. But until now, not a word has been said in support of the Gay Rights movement over there on THIS forum that I recall. It certainly hasn't been a 'hot issue' until now.
Everyone can say the word 'fuck', they can even say it a dozen times, it doesn't have all that much effect being how overused it is. I prefer more creative insults myself.
Just make fucking sure you know what you're talking about before you use it for emphasis.
Catherina
(35,568 posts)He actually worked with 2 friends of mine. His problem was interviewing and filming minors who hadn't even broken the news to their parents yet. He's pushing for everyone to go to the Olympics and engage in more activist provocation, he's working on a 2014 International Gay Pride in Sochi. Just a few hours ago he's still begging other LGBT activists to go there and help "They are Russian LGBT organizations that advocate exerting pressure, or to just go and see what is possible" and trying to arrange a screening of his documentary during the Olympics.
For personal reasons I'll never get into at DU, I keep a close eye on the progress there.
MADem
(135,425 posts)Sochi 2014: Russia will enforce anti-gay laws, says minister
Contradicts previous assurances from International Olympic Committee
MOSCOW Russia will enforce a new law cracking down on gay rights activism when it hosts international athletes and fans during the 2014 Olympics in Sochi, the countrys sports minister said Thursday, appearing to contradict assurances to the contrary from the International Olympic Committee.
Russias contentious law was signed by President Vladimir Putin in late June, imposing fines on individuals accused of spreading propaganda of nontraditional sexual relations to minors, and even proposing penalties for those who express these views online or in the news media. Gay pride rallies also are banned.
An athlete of nontraditional sexual orientation isnt banned from coming to Sochi, Vitaly Mutko said in an interview with R-Sport, the sports newswire of state news agency RIA Novosti. But if he goes out into the streets and starts to propagandize, then of course he will be held accountable.
Mutko emphasized that the law wasnt designed to punish anyone for being gay or lesbian. But like the Russian lawmakers who authored the bill, Mutko said athletes would be punished only for propaganda, a word that remains ambiguous under the new law.
The corresponding law doesnt forbid non-traditional orientation, but other things: propaganda, involvement of minors and the youth.
The law specifies punishment for foreign citizens, to include fines of up to 100,000 rubles ($3,000), time in prison for up to 15 days, deportation and denial of reentry into Russia. Four Dutch citizens working on a documentary film in the northern Russian town of Murmansk were the first foreigners to be detained under the new law, although their case did not make it to court, according to RIA Novosti.
Sounds to me like "propagandize" can be interpreted to mean "Make some Russian asshole think you are gay."
Wilms
(26,795 posts)Cancel the meeting and it will keep the NSA in the news.
Well Barry, that's what you get for being elected in part as a repudiation of bush* and then continuing the odious policies of his* tenure.
Proud Liberal Dem
(24,456 posts)Wilms
(26,795 posts)Like most of the cheerleading posts.
Like most of the teabaggers.
Wilms
(26,795 posts)Or respond to the point I made.
More tough choices.
one_voice
(20,043 posts)Like most of the cheerleading posts.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=3387240
Pretty sure I responded to the lame point you tried to make. Not a tough choice.
Why would I alert? Is that what you do?
Wilms
(26,795 posts)I now recall from years back the term isn't appreciated.
Is there an alternate? And no. I've never alerted a post.
one_voice
(20,043 posts)Last edited Thu Aug 1, 2013, 05:38 PM - Edit history (1)
SidDithers
(44,228 posts)nice
Sid
Oh. Whay bother?
reformist2
(9,841 posts)How embarrassing, that such a high-profile case likes this flees to Russia for asylum from the US, and gets it? Obviously one could make the case that Russia is a "bad" country, but most of the world doesn't see it that way.
quinnox
(20,600 posts)Just because Putin has granted temporary asylum to Snowden, doesn't mean they are once again our mortal enemy. Jeez, the USA has been embarrassing itself over this whole Snowden affair. Maybe take a chill pill and calm down a bit!
cali
(114,904 posts)Catherina
(35,568 posts)Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY), the Senate Democrats' third-in-command, blasted Russia over its decision to grant NSA leaker Edward Snowden temporary asylum Thursday.
Russia has stabbed us in the back, and each day that Mr. Snowden is allowed to roam free is another twist of the knife," he said in a statement. "Others who have practiced civil disobedience in the past have stood up and faced the charges because they strongly believed in what they were doing. Mr. Snowden is a coward who has chosen to run. Given Russias decision today, the President should recommend moving the G-20 summit.
White House spokesman Jay Carney also expressed extreme disappointment with the country's decision to grant asylum, saying the U.S. was re-evaluating whether a summit between President Barack Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin will still take place in the fall.
http://livewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/entry/schumer-by-granting-snowden-asylum-russia-has-stabbed
Please stop embarrassing yourselves with this temper tantrum.
HardTimes99
(2,049 posts)a U.N. Security Council Resolution. I didn't hear any whining from Schumer back then.
Schumer needs to grow the fuck up, imho.
GlashFordan
(216 posts)And to all the people who said "Snowden has nowhere to go" and "Snowden is screwed"....
Suck it!!
Catherina
(35,568 posts)In a statement released Thursday morning, the senator called Russia's actions "a disgrace and a deliberate effort to embarrass the United States." He continued:
McCain is not alone in his anger. Sen. Kelly Ayotte, R-N.H., tweeted earlier Thursday that the reset in U.S.-Russia relations is more like the "U.S. being run over." In a statement, Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Robert Menendez, D-N.J., said that "Edward Snowden is a fugitive who belongs in a United States courtroom, not a free man deserving of asylum in Russia." The senator also calls the asylum decision a "setback to U.S.-Russia relations."
...
http://news.yahoo.com/john-mccain-furious-edward-snowden-121643229.html
Speak for yourself McCain. This is NOT a slap in my face, just yours and the pro-surveillance crowd.
HardTimes99
(2,049 posts)group includes McInsane).
nadinbrzezinski
(154,021 posts)Oy
reformist2
(9,841 posts)Everyone probably felt like it jumped with Dubya, but I felt like with the election of Obama, the rest of the world gave us a second chance to redeem ourselves.
I think they've pretty much had all they can take, now.
nadinbrzezinski
(154,021 posts)This whole embrogglio has shown how much real influence we no longer have.
There used to be a time that the US said something and everybody pretty much got in line. The glory years are well over.
HardTimes99
(2,049 posts)admit to a delicious feelign of schadenfreude today
nadinbrzezinski
(154,021 posts)Granted, declining empires are also very dangerous.
Catherina
(35,568 posts)Statement on Snowdens Successful Russian Asylum Bid
1 August 2013, 16:00 UTC
Today, Thursday 1st August at 15:50 MSK, Edward Snowden was granted temporary asylum in Russia. He left Sheremetyevo airport in Moscow with WikiLeaks staffer and legal advisor Sarah Harrison who has accompanied him during his 39 day stay in the transit zone and continues to do so. Ms Harrison has remained with Mr Snowden at all times to protect his safety and security, including during his exit from Hong Kong. They departed from the airport together in a taxi and are headed to a secure, confidential place.
On 16th July Mr Snowden made a request for temporary asylum to Russia. Despite the ongoing pressure from the United States, which has been trying to interfere with this sovereign process in violation of the UN Protocol on the Rights of Refugees, Russia has done the right thing and granted Mr Snowden temporary asylum. The certificate of temporary asylum by the Russian Federation lasts for one year and affords Mr Snowden the right to live in and travel around Russia, where he can now plan his next steps in safety. On receiving his asylum certificate Mr Snowden said:
WikiLeaks, whilst being a publishing organisation, also fights for the rights and protections of journalistic sources, and so has taken a leading role in assisting Mr Snowden secure his safety. Mr Snowden, an American citizen, was forced to flee his country to enable him to safely reveal to the public the crimes of his government. President Barack Obama while elected on a platform promising to protect whistleblowers, has now prosecuted more national security whistleblowers than all other presidents in United States history combined. This bellicose response from the US administration makes it clear that Snowden could not receive a fair trial. Assange said "This is another victory in the fight against Obamas war on whistleblowers. This battle has been won, but the war continues. The United States can no longer continue the surveillance of world citizens and its digital colonization of sovereign nations. The public will no longer stand for it. Whistleblowers will continue to appear until the government abides by its own laws and rhetoric."
WikiLeaks commends Russia for accepting Snowdens request and supporting him when many countries felt so compromised by US threats that they could not. Throughout Snowdens stay in the airport it has been heartening to see citizens of the United States, of Russia and the world supporting Mr Snowden. WikiLeaks would also like to extend their gratitude to the airport staff who have assisted in making the extended stay of Mr Snowden and Ms Harrison as comfortable and secure as possible, despite the difficult conditions.
Mr Snowden and Ms Harrison have been staying in the airport for almost six weeks, having landed on an Aeroflot flight from Hong Kong on the 23rd June. They had been booked on a connecting flight the following day. Mr Snowden intended to request asylum in Latin America. However, after Mr Snowdens departure was made public, the United States government canceled his passport, which rendered onward travel impossible.
From within the transit zone of the airport, Mr Snowden and Ms Harrison spent a number of weeks prior to his Russian application assessing the options available to him to ensure his future safety. Without a passport and no immediate offers of the necessary safe passage, travel was impossible. Over twenty asylum requests to various countries were made to try to secure Mr Snowdens passage. Throughout this period the United States took irregular and disproportionate actions to block Mr Snowdens right to seek asylum: downing the plane of the President of Bolivia and making direct political and economic threats againt nations Mr Snowden requested assistance from. This is in violation of United Nations General Assembly Resolution 2312 (1967), which states that:
"the grant of asylum. . . is a peaceful and humanitarian act and... as such, it cannot be regarded as unfriendly by any other State."
Despite these actions, Venezuela, Bolivia and Nicaragua stood strong and granted Mr Snowden asylum. At a meeting with lawyers and human rights organisations on the 12th July, Mr Snowden announced that he accepted Venezuelas asylum offer, although ultimately US interference has, at least for the time being, prevented its practical acceptance.
The Obama administration has demonstrated in its treatment of Bradley Manning, Thomas Drake, James Risen, James Rosen and others that the United States is no longer a safe place for whistleblowers and national security journalists. WikiLeaks urges that the US government amends its ways, reverse this trend and re-establish its moral authority. We will continue to defend Mr Snowden and urge the United States government to respect its constitution and international law.
http://wikileaks.org/Statement-on-Snowden-s-Successful.html
marions ghost
(19,841 posts)= they are furious.
And they don't really have a lot of the country behind them in these bullying efforts.
Catherina
(35,568 posts)U.S. politicians saw the matter otherwise. U.S. Sen. John McCain (R., Ariz.) called the move "a disgrace and a deliberate effort to embarrass the United States," adding, in a statement, that the U.S. should step up advocacy of human rights and civil liberties in Russia, accelerate European missile-defense programs and press for an expansion of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, including membership for the Republic of Georgia. "Now is the time to fundamentally rethink our relationship with Putin's Russia," he said.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323681904578641610474568782.html
backscatter712
(26,355 posts)snappyturtle
(14,656 posts)last week? WH announced it was 'concerned and disappointed' with the
release of the Yemeni reporter, Shaye?
Better to have left it at that with Snowden. imho...rather than stomping
feet and threatening meeting with Putin.
MisterP
(23,730 posts)bowens43
(16,064 posts)woo me with science
(32,139 posts)But "disappointed" is far from adequate.
Catherina
(35,568 posts)"Putin knows how to play hardball, so should we," says house foreign affairs comm chair Ed Royce #Snowden
Royce calls Russia's #Snowden decision "absolutely unacceptable" says "will have a very negative impact on our relations"
DAHELL RT @RosieGray: Harry Reid: I think Snowden is a traitor, and Putin did a wrong thing. But Im not going to be a Secretary of State"
Catherina
(35,568 posts)The spokesman stressed the US doesnt view Edward Snowden as a whistleblower or dissident, reminding that the NSA former contractor is accused of leaking classified information in his home country.
Next weeks talks between US Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian foreign minister, Sergey Lavrov, were also up in the air, a US official told Reuters, speaking on condition of anonymity.
http://rt.com/usa/white-house-snowden-asylum-918/