2013: Defying the
United States, President Maduro Offered Asylum to Edward Snowden
Edward Snowden was a National Security Agency (NSA) contractor.
In June 2013 Snowden released thousands of NSA classified documents to the press. The
US filed espionage charges against him. Snowden was stranded at the Moscow
airport. He sought asylum in Latin America. The US applied diplomatic pressure
on countries to not offer asylum to Snowden:
·
“The United States is conducting a diplomatic
full-court press to block Snowden from finding refuge in Latin America. Vice
President Biden took the unusual step of telephoning President Correa of
Ecuador to urge him not to give asylum to Snowden. And all across the region
American embassies have communicated Washington’s message that helping Mr
Snowden ‘would put relations in a very bad place for a long time to come.”[1]
Bolivian President Evo Morales attended a meeting in Moscow
in June 2013.Morales made a statement that he would be willing to consider a
petition by Snowden for asylum. On July 1 during the flight back to Bolivia, Italy,
France, Portugal and Spain notified the plane that permission to fly over their
countries had been withdrawn. Running low on fuel, the plane made an emergency
landing in Austria. Austrian officials searched the plane for Snowden. After
thirteen hours on the ground, permission was granted to fly over Spain and
Portugal.
Bolivian officials accused the
four European countries of acting under American pressure to rescind permission
for Morales’ plane to traverse their air space.[2] Latin American leaders
condemned the treatment of Morales as a violation of national sovereignty. On
July 5, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro joined Morales and Argentina’s
President Cristina Fernandez and Ecuador’s President Rafael Correa in an
emergency meeting of the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR) to condemn
the actions of the United States and the European countries for the breach of
international diplomatic accords. Internationally, more than 100 UN member
nations collectively denounced the incident.
On July 6, Maduro offered asylum in Venezuela to Snowden:
·
“I have decided to offer humanitarian asylum to
the young American Edward Snowden” Mr Maduro said during a television
appearance. Mr Maduro said he had decided to act to protect this young man from
the persecution unleashed by the world’s most powerful empire.”[3]
Snowden thanked Maduro for the offer. He declined the offer
because of safety concerns about traveling to Venezuela by plane from Russia.
Snowden accepted Russia’s offer of asylum as the safest option [4]
The Snowden incident was seen as greatly strengthening
Maduro domestically and internationally.[5]
·
“For Maduro, the opportunity to champion
Snowden’s cause and challenge the United States on a world stage, with
substantial regional support has allowed him to genuinely reclaim Hugo Chavez’s
anti-imperialist mantle. It provides the perfect opportunity for Maduro to
figure internationally, to show that he is a player among the big powers and
that he’s capable of challenging the United States” [5]
1.New York Times, U.S. is Pressing Latin Americans to
Reject Snowden, July 11, 2013.
2.New York Times, New Rumor of Snowden Flight Raises
Tensions, July 2, 2013.
3.New York Times, Venezuela Offers Asylum to Snowden, July
5, 2013
4.Washington Post, With Snowden Offer, Venezuela’s Maduro
is on World Stage, July 9, 2013
5.Achtenberg, Emily, The Detention of Evo Morales: A
defining Moment for Latin America? NACLA, July 11, 2013
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