Russia Announces Citizenship for Whistleblower Edward Snowden

Heroic whistleblower Edward Snowden was granted Russian citizenship on Monday. Snowden leaked a massive cache of documents from the National Security Agency proving mass surveillance of American citizens existed. 

In 2013, Snowden turned over documents from the NSA to Glenn Greenwald and several other journalists. He transferred the documents to the reporters in Hong Kong. After leaving Hong Kong, the Barack Obama White House pulled Snowden’s visa. When he landed in Moscow, he was unable to travel to his planned destination in Latin America. 

For almost a decade, Snowden has been exiled in Russia. In October 2020, Moscow granted Snowden permanent residency status. He applied for citizenship one month later. The request for Russian citizenship was granted on Monday. 

In a tweet, Snowden explained that citizenship would offer his family more stability. 

“After years of separation from our parents, my wife and I have no desire to be separated from our SONS. After two years of waiting and nearly ten years of exile, a little stability will make a difference for my family. I pray for privacy for them—and for us all.”

The US government has filed charges against Snowden for leaking the documents that exposed the NSA’s mass surveillance program. Reuters reported the State Department said it was unaware of any changes to Snowden’s citizenship.