no i don't know it was me since human rights activists and right now let's discuss this further with political analyst dmitri babich who is now joining us live from moscow dimitri welcome to the program so what made snowden ask russia for political asylum from the appointee well i think that he sees that it is not a very secure good lord to wage an american right now because just recently and we don't use that american vice president joe biden personally called their car door and president rafael care and basically or threaten him with quantico and source if he admits in order to his territory so i think maybe a snowden decided there you should take and it will be a good time off and probably stay in russia for a little longer before going where anywhere else or maybe. russia has fallen over the view of safe places for himself dmitri and just. for your information we're getting reports that actually advert snowden did say that he was scared that he

wouldn't be able to get to latin america safely because of the latest incident with the believe in president's plane actually and is it is he likely to to get it's i mean the political asylum here in russia what we've heard there the terms of president putin i think these are very legitimate demands that we're going to have made you know on the same demands were made for example i may need when he lived in france that he should not get involved in particular. nor damage the interest of. the wants of what in huge with the damage i called the interest of our american partners so if snowden agrees you will be doomed. if i can be a door bell live in russia by probably it will be about before he is security. if he is given asylum how well this affect relations between russia and the us.

well i don't think that it will have a positive effect because there american elite has sort of far talked itself into make. of mr snow all done a very important matter a matter of warning if you want i was talking to you all have a negative impact but i think that any of drug observer know what yes there are not one scandal russia did not want to have more be vehement in his relations with the united states but now i think it will be extremely difficult for the united states. some russian criminals from its territory to russia because what do you expect to. extradite the russian. and was appalled by the way dmitri reports from the airport right now.

human rights activists says that edward snowden said he felt his living conditions were fine at the airport that's according to channel and he feels safe in their pool but he knows he cannot stay there forever ok there were some quotes of edward snowden from a sure metro airport transit to be treated. because of child abuse rates all over the globe here how are you actually hear from your goodness i want you to do it just what and do you think do you think there's been a couple of kind of light hearted discussions around the news of over the last couple of weeks that that snowden could be called. a paul offensively or a tradeable item. as far as bilateral u.s. russian relations are concerned and victor brute's situation for example. how do you see much of that kind of conversation in the rushed. media told well i've seen a lot of it and then american media by that i don't think any sensible russian

newspaper would you win the race that's a possibility because these are very different madness mr snowden is not a spy it's not a cold war story and that's all you're going to get them started by an apple bomb for example by who did all she still believes their people are living in a fall in conditions in shade and then surely to the us a story she speaks about is make it all about a few years ago. you know it seems to me that part of the american media is still stuck in the cold war and that at least as far as mr snowden is concerned sure sure but if snowden read jack said by russia that. asked about that. last time that options does he have. well you. know more in their transit area maybe some mormon you will try to gold to your girl or who you know so i would

direct to our knowledge there you have revealed that you have a lot of human rights activists you my human rights activists into the plane that would take him there probably that were made there or see for. general. asks for asylum you will get it that's what we heard in. you know a famous russian and poignant part of the people were invited to me if you are very kind of don't do agree with me on that. so edward snowden does have some reason for optimism i guess according to doing tree all right dimitri babich thank you very much indeed mitri bobbish political analyst and just to remind our viewers what's going on what we know right now about edward snowden and it's a whistleblower that has reportedly asked human rights activists has been me saying actually made to the airport to help him stay in russia and have currently promised

to stop releasing leaks that home washington which was the kremlin's original condition for granting him asylum and just to remind you snowden has been stuck in limbo in the show makes you a transit zone for more than two weeks since leaving hong kong from moscow and back at home in the u. as his facing espionage charges for leaking documents showing the unprecedented scope of the u.s. surveillance program of course we're back after a very short break to stay with us this developing story. i'm not used to the tundra to freedom i am my dear. oh. in second grade i ran away from the boarding school with to my friends will be around to the tundra. the tundra is just mosquitoes that crack and i don't know how people can live there

to get in there no t.v.'s in the tent how can i send my child to boarding school i won't be able to sleep at night after that. they enter a life without knowledge of how to do basic things they don't get that in school. world. science technology innovation all the list of elements from around russia we've got the future covered. oh well combine the says she and we're here to cover the story of edward snowden and right now we can hear from correspondent and he said now if you can hear us and he said please update us on the what's going on what are you hearing from bioweapon where you are. well edward snowden according to reports has

asked and we said he will ask for political asylum here in russia he had a meeting with representatives of various human rights groups in sorry much of an airport where he has been living for some in nineteen days in limbo he has not cost the russian border he doesn't have a passport he doesn't promise citizenship this was why according to him he called the suman rights activist to the airport to meet with them they are now speaking to the press that we're slowly starting to find out what options he might have for political asylum in russia let's not forget that two weeks ago or so he told he withdrew his application for asylum in russia after president putin made it clear that it would be under certain terms he would be welcome to stay in russia of those terms we've heard recently from the kremlin have not changed but in the past two weeks for some reason edward snowden has decided to apply for political asylum once again in the russian federation and why no one is sure perhaps for security reasons

if he can stay in russia for a little bit longer lie low there's been lots of speculation as to how possibly he could fly to latin america several countries there have offered him asylum no official paperwork has begun but it's a very tricky situation about how to get edward snowden to latin america could be a very dangerous step for him so perhaps he really has decided that russia is the safest place just place to stay the question now is is he ready to agree to those terms and stop leaking. as he applies for the societal. and we're getting reports that by the way we could leaks will be releasing snowden's statement to human rights groups this evening that's for those who will be interested to read them all and also it's not an approach that if he gets political asylum here in russia it will give him the right to move freely inside russia so that was he said now live

from a sure major airport where the. all right what the meeting place and he said thank you very much and right now we can listen to all right ali and he said ok stay where you are. ok thank you very much for just the single we're doing next ok i need to stay where you are but where we're ready to listen to human rights representative to channel option all right now let's listen in while she has to say . yes you know until you get in on this you know leave. russia you leave. the. do you think that student you know that you know you. you know he. by the way. russian law anatoly could sure and i will provide legal support snowden in going through political asylum procedures as well so some latest information for

you. do you have anything to add. because he's here with me as well yeah we're on the i'm on the desk here watching the watching the tweets come through and it seems there's this is a twitter driven stammer unfortunately i couldn't i couldn't hear what what touchdown i had to say perhaps you could reiterate by all means you know well it's very interested to know it's pretty it's pretty much what we already know is that snowden is taking the position that he has he he's not his leaks are not harming america and as such they can and as such he would be able to meet the conditions that putin sets out for him but the question is being posed for example in barry's new york times just posted it has no didn't agree to stop leaking or is he taking the position that his as his leaks don't damage america he's somehow made in the conditions set out by putin. in the russian human rights in boston. also has quoted snowden saying that he sees himself as

a patriot. and i guess there's an element of this that comes back to the the famous patriot act. what it is constitutes an american patriot or not but that's that's just the latest that we're hearing i think i guess my understanding would be that they did the crime and will probably be pretty hesitant about making any clearcut statements other than the conditions that they set out a couple of weeks ago for snowden have stood you know has told the media basically what we are that the quote that we had from china notion of of human rights watch. that snowden's doesn't see his leaks as being against america's interests. all right and he said i think i am i think that's ok. yes please please gun i was just going to say i agree with with ivor i think it's really turning into a tricky situation you're going to see a lot of this on twitter well what is stop leaking mean what is harming america mean the one thing we can know for sure and russia will stand by this is that all

of this is going to be analyzed and done the procedures according to international body russia let's not forget doesn't extradite yes they possibly exchanged and they were talking about about that a little bit before with which to meet me but they certainly won't hand snowden over to any country that has the death penalty just this could put pressure on us russian relations but russia is going to be very careful and so is the u.s. i think when it comes to russia latin america was was very angry with what happened that's putting it lightly ever morale is international law is broken or possible board there but i think it's fair to say that while latin america is braver and standing up to the u.s. russia is no latin america and both sides are going to try to very carefully i must not forget that edward snowden is not seen as a spy in russia in fact it's interesting enough in a recent poll in the us he was seen as more of a hero in a poll then there. that's why so it's the american government it's the obama

administration that sees this man as a spy these human rights activists are are going to support him and they're going to fight for him to the end of whether that means getting political will fly them in russia others certainly going to do their best to make sure he stays safe and that he's not handed over to the united states sure and she said thank you very much we'll be back of course and we'll chat to you more but right now our. n.s.a. whistleblower edward snowden has reportedly promised to stop releasing leaks that haul washington in return for asylum here in russia that was the condition that from from to be former cia contract so to was drawn his previous application for russian asylum and he gathered thirteen human rights activists and lawyers a big transit zone of sheremetyevo airport and asked them to help him get refuge in russia apparently it snowed and said he was asking because it was proving impossible to fly to latin america venezuela bolivia and nicaragua have all offered

him asylum just to remind you snowden has been stuck in limbo. for more than two weeks now since leaving hong kong from moscow and back at home in the u. r. c. is facing espionage charges for leaking documents showing the president to the scope of the u.s. surveillance program. let's now talk live to also a contributor option return see mr townson great to see you again so again why do you think snowden decided to ask russia for asylum. well it's amazing the rush you're going to consider it i suppose i would say that because i'm speaking to you from london wiki leaks they had a read of course britain did nothing for him even though they had threats from the united states i think and of course wiki leaks will be releasing a statement about snowden in the next few hours i think. some analysts might be saying that basically edward snowden is going to seek temporary asylum in russia

and of course that would make region was very clear about. snowden's revelations not harming his friends the united states he will then go on to latin america what was shown by the grounding or the hijacking of evo morales his jet in european powers of the past weeks or so those events the other week is that snowden realize he just is not safe the united states president obama has shown that enemies of the state as he perceives it will either be detained tortured in the case of bradley manning or killed in the case of drone strikes and so snowden obviously realizing that great danger decided to him to invite these thirteen human rights groups to the airport for this quite unprecedented. meeting head of when he speaks to the press because we have that first picture as well. mr townsend i'm just going to translate to to you as well as to all of our years from russian into english so

we're getting some reports now and they say that the kremlin haven't received a pass no application for political asylum from mr snowden but the crown and set the conditions remain the same actually so they the second question to you why did he ask human rights activist not politicians right now. presumably he's hoping the intervention of human rights watch amnesty international has to be said some of these human rights groups have their own agendas sometimes allied quite closely with the u.s. state department i presume snowden and his wiki leaks team of aware of all of that he's seeking asylum for this temporary nature because there's no doubt that he has a temporary asylum claim that's processed and accepted in russia his travel to latin america will be a good deal safer and i don't think president obama would shoot down a plane or train i jacket it was carrying of someone with russian asylum papers on

board or it is that presumably is the very thing but without that offer and as a man of no state because president obama's first act was to rescind his citizenship in effect by taking away as possible document snowden on a plane then wasn't even safe to travel on the plane of a head of state and they can authorities or their lackeys in europe as has been commented on in the past few weeks would just bring the plane down and goes in a smaller plane the united states has a record of shooting down civilian airliners killing all passengers on board i'm thinking of iran iranian airliner as cuban airliners and so forth so what we have here is someone trying to speak about scared for his life because the obama administration either wants to murder torture or imprison him to stop the truth getting out about what is. people but truly is in arguably against the fourth

amendment of the u.s. constitution but it's thrilling story isn't it so reports claim snowden agree to stop harming the u.s. do you think he is ready to give up on whistle blowing. i think that the temporary asylum claim and certain teams have said to these human rights advocates he is willing to stop the constant flow because he has a lot of documents of course once he then gets to his final destination in a continent which once was ruled by us back dictators which is now so different since the pink tide over the past ten or fifteen years i think once he's there again maybe the citizens around the world will be enlightened by yet more revelations the united states is routinely breaking any idea of the spirit of international law what's again very disappointing nothing from the u.n. secretary at or the secretary general of anything ban ki-moon following exactly what he's told to by his minders in the u.s.

state department saying edward snowden has made a misuse of his own powers or words to that effect hopefully we'll get more revelations and using the wiki leaks transmission system we will hear more and more but you know he's not the only whistleblower out there we have of course julian assange is here we have other whistleblowers around the world and they're being hunted down by the american administration that's hope that different countries can stand up to what seems to be a rogue state certainly i presume that argument is being made to the human rights groups and your have gotten their schooling. and sort of question want to ask you about julian assange just case. or at least his plight he's been effectively blockaded. you know cold war style it's a little room. in central london do you think the snowden case impacts

upon his in any way shape or form i did it do you think it it it's changed white holds position at all on what to do with the signage. i suppose it would if if snowden was killed on an airplane headed for latin america the british authorities presumably would do more to try and hurt. him why is julian assange so the cameron government is. more restrained in that but then we now know that bugging devices have been found in the ecuadorian embassy which makes breaks all kinds of diplomatic protocol i think public city that some elements of the media are giving these stories is helping to save these people's lives because . well the way bradley manning was treated has been covered. we know what the united states wants to do to snowden and wants to do to julian assange and they want to silence them they don't want this information getting a short. little so should we expect from the us of snowden actually gets asylum

here in washington. i think he's completely safe if he gets the asylum application temporary application through being in russia how safe he is in that in america we'll have to see because you know they have their allies colombia there on the border with venezuela. it isn't beyond the imagination of a lot of people for united states death squads to come back in and murder people that the white house sees as prejudicial against u.s. interests but i presume will be protected a great deal by with three ends up in whether it's venezuela or indeed ecuador or indeed about a short short do you think. do you think he's got a he's got a real chance of getting a lot of. the quotes we're just watching on that we're we're basically consuming

twitter right now and watching all of the info that's coming out coming from. snowden snowden been quoted as saying he feels safe quote unquote. in russia there are a couple of senior. political and legal thinkers who say. it was a member of the public chamber has a lawyer here might suggest that there is a little bit more. official support than manisha for snowden from the kremlin that may initially meet the i pod like what what what impact does the this guy jacking of moralities jet let's say i mean i think that's something that the media. probably probably a message that the media might have missed in that was that this is a this is an absolutely extraordinary don't present and event in my opinion probably a more shocking story or a bigger story than this than the leaks that the idea that you know facebook and microsoft are sharing information with the government or with the u.s.

government but they put the bringing down of this jet with basically you know was an absolute humiliation of the idea of any form of diplomatic conventions anymore it reconfirms american exceptionalism when do you think the guy actually give given given the morale is debacle given given the international environment and the u.s. a sense of being able to do basically what it wants when it wants do you think the guy actually sounds a chance to get into latin america if you could stay in moscow. well we are still waiting for more than a sore about the retaliation for that bowling event remember the student does have a lot of support china has again been criticizing u.s. policy more bizarre comments from the state department so he has the world on his side against the roof states which are usually called the mainstream in the mainstream media the international community as to what you're saying just earlier about the change of position perhaps in the kremlin i suppose the russian

government will be saying it'll just be normal channels through which the asylum application will be processed and the position is going to be thought out but behind the scenes when you have this many human rights groups coming to i presume it wouldn't be the foreign ministry to get a lot of rules development but we will be various departments in russia that are supposed to be processing it asylum claim like this i would think there was a certain high up and by the mere putin would be able to tell mr obama look he was going to give secrets room while he's here but of course you have to respect the fact that russia has given him temporary asylum. thank you very much indeed for your time now thank you. and now again we can talk to renegotiate there's been a transit zone. wherever snowden has been meeting human rights activists tell us about what's been coming out of this meeting. he wasn't really meeting them in and turns out you have to make you have to make that point out by the fact that

actually many of our authorities very quite interesting in that they have disclosed some information leading some journalists to go into one terminal whereas the meeting as a matter of fact has taken place in a completely different place and that was a terminal seat that doesn't matter really at this point because we have the meeting which took place in the main result is that we have averaged out and who has asked for political asylum in russia because according to. those for this meeting this is the only way that he sees that he can possibly move somewhere else for example to countries in latin. in israel and they're all girls who have expressed their desire to meet with their the problem of course is that he doesn't he doesn't have any documents and that is his passport his american passport her has been the knowledge and therefore really there i believe that we can. go anywhere is that really to apply for asylum in russia of course the spokesperson for the russian president has already said that the conditions in which it would be granted that asylum remain the same not as he didn't stop kids and to american

activity and in that case russia will consider perhaps giving him the silent or the status of unsightly of course if there's some information coming in from the from the reporter at the guardian newspaper glenn greenwald of what to actually the man who took that interview with snowden that started it all back in may and langridge greenwald is saying that at this point it does look like the leaks are actually out of hand and they have the newspapers to which he has submitted several documents several papers with the information which couldn't possibly incriminate us a further really so you can see that snowden is going is ready to fulfill that seven. that condition of not disclosing any more information which could be damaging to the u.s. he's already done it so it will be interesting to see exactly how things develop from here on after. i also have a sneaking suspicion that the connection with me has been lost perhaps that is not the case but i do not fear anything. and i would bring out

ok good good. points for hope and there yes the internet connection isn't as good anymore the irony is now that all the journalists that were here just an hour ago i mean there were more than a hundred cameras here all flocking all over the place running around you should see the person at the passport control who was looking at me and a couple of other journalists who have bought tickets as if they're flying out somewhere in order to get to the transfer zone and not of course finding snowden there you should have seen the person who was it putting the. stamps in our passports he was really upset at the fact there's like four by us and he said if there's anybody else left over in the airport that should probably come by now and get this done over with but that is of course the point it's really interesting to see what is going to happen next year with snowden i mean supposedly he's been here i mean you can understand the man to he's been here at the transfers don't for almost three weeks i think that i think it's rather trying for a person to to be in the suspended state for such

a long time so really it was it was it was a move that you could say could have been expected at one point or another because like we've been talking about the u.s. going at great lengths stop him from going anywhere like that incident with the plane that you know me for making it personal but that really rubs me the wrong way i mean we're talking about a sovereign countries leader having u.s. plane stop just because there could be a man that u.s. one on board of that plane that it's just i think that's out of control it's just crazy wild story was that it was another situation that totally backfired for the u.s. i think and so those of us those of us who reported on the. thing was fogle case of the spike. when the when the guy was rolled out with the if you remember really with the wigs and the compass is it's not a i think you know. i think it.