Russia Says U.S. Hypocritical On Edward Snowden

[Purveyor]

Russian officials are pushing back against U.S. calls to hand over NSA leaker Edward Snowden, saying the U.S. routinely ignores Russian extradition requests.

“The United States is repeatedly refusing Russia to extradite individuals, to hold them criminally liable, including those accused of committing serious or heinous crimes,” Sergei Gorlenko, the acting chief of the prosecutor general’s extradition office, told the Interfax news agency. “We have been denied the extradition of murderers, bandits and bribetakers.”

“Law agencies asked the U.S. on many occasions to extradite wanted criminals through Interpol channels, but those requests were neither met nor even responded to,” Andrey Pilipchuk, spokesman for the Russian Interior Ministry, said on Monday, according to Russia Today.

Senior Russian officials have given no indication they will extradite Snowden, a possible payback for years of the U.S. refusing to extradite about 20 suspects over the past decade, The New York Times reports. The U.S. and Russia do not have an extradition treaty.

Read more: http://www.politico.com/story/2013/07/russia-edward-snowden-asylum-94602.html#ixzz2Zt43knoG

[Thinkingabout]

1. Where does Russia get the opportunity to usurp the freedoms we have in the United States.