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Agence France-Presse

Fugitive US whistle-blower Edward Snowden said Monday he had applied for Russian citizenship but would keep his US nationality.
The former American intelligence contractor, who revealed in 2013 that the US government was spying on its citizens, has been living in exile in Russia since the revelations.
Snowden’s tweet comes weeks after he was granted permanent residency in the country, and just days after his partner Lindsay Mills announced she was pregnant.
He tweeted: “After years of separation from our parents, my wife and I have no desire to be separated from our son”.

Lindsay and I will remain Americans, raising our son with all the values of the America we love—including the freedom to speak his mind. And I look forward to the day I can return to the States, so the whole family can be reunited.
— Edward Snowden (@Snowden) November 1, 2020

The 37-year-old said that “in this era of pandemics and closed borders, we’re applying for dual US-Russian citizenship”.
Moscow only recently relaxed its strict citizenship laws to allow individuals to hold Russian passports without rejecting their original nationalities.
In the short thread, Snowden emphasised that he and Mills would “remain Americans, raising our son with all the values of the America we love – including the freedom to speak his mind”.
The former US contractor is wanted in the US on espionage charges after he leaked information showing that agents from the National Security Agency were collecting telephone records from millions of US citizens.
Earlier this year, US President Donald Trump said he would “take a look” at pardoning Snowden but has not made further comment on the matter.
A 2015 petition calling on then-president Barack Obama to pardon the whistle-blower was rejected by the White House.


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US whistle-blower reveals plan days after his partner Lindsay Mills said she was pregnant
Come weeks after the former NSA contractor was granted permanent residency rights in Russia



Edward Snowden on Twitter: ‘After years of separation from our parents, my wife and I have no desire to be separated from our son’.


Russia

Espionage

US-Russia relations

‘Our son’: why Edward Snowden wants US-Russian citizenship

US whistle-blower reveals plan days after his partner Lindsay Mills said she was pregnant Come weeks after the former NSA contractor was granted permanent residency rights in Russia

US whistle-blower reveals plan days after his partner Lindsay Mills said she was pregnant

Come weeks after the former NSA contractor was granted permanent residency rights in Russia