Snowden in Talks to Return to US

Lawyer in Moscow says he wants a guarantee of a fair trial
By John Johnson,  Newser Staff
Posted Mar 3, 2015 3:31 PM CST
Snowden in Talks to Return to US
Edward Snowden is seen on a screen during a live video conference for an interview as part of Amnesty International's annual Write for Rights campaign at the Gaite Lyrique in Paris, France, Dec. 10, 2014.   (AP Photo/Charles Platiau, Pool)

Edward Snowden apparently doesn't want to spend the rest of his days in Russia. One of his lawyers in Moscow says he is in negotiations to return to the US, reports Reuters. "We are doing everything possible now to solve this issue," says Anatoly Kucherena. "There is a group of US lawyers, there is also a group of German lawyers, and I'm dealing with it on the Russian side." Snowden isn't looking to have his espionage charges dropped, but he wants a guarantee of a fair trial, reports USA Today, citing a report in Russia's TASS news agency.

According to the TASS report, Eric Holder sent Snowden a letter promising that Snowden would not face the death penalty for turning over classified information about US surveillance to journalists. "That is, they guarantee that Snowden will not be executed, not that he will receive a fair trial," says Kucherena. He provided no details on what conditions might satisfy Snowden. The 31-year-old has been in Russia since 2013 on a temporary residency permit. (More Edward Snowden stories.)

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