It finally seems that Edward Snowden has some alternatives regarding his case.
Switzerland is reportedly quite ready to welcome Snowden and has promised not to extradite him to the United States if he travels to the country to testify against the NSA. The Sonntags Zeitung website reports that the country's attorney general says that Snowden's safety must be guaranteed and that he will not be extradited to the US.
Snowden 's safety can be ensured by summoning him to a congressional hearing, focusing on the NSA's tendency to spy on everyone in the world, including friendly governments and innocent citizens.
The written text notes that Switzerland will not extradite a US citizen if the individual’s actions are related to a political offense, or if the request is politically motivated. Therefore, if the charges against the whistleblower are deemed to be “primarily political in nature,” then Snowden is perfectly safe in Switzerland.
Marcel Bosonnet, a Zurich lawyer representing Snowden's interests in the country, says he is satisfied with the assessment presented by the Attorney General and believes the legal requirements for his client's security are met. He adds that Snowden has already expressed interest in testifying for Switzerland, as he has with other countries that have launched investigations into the NSA's illegal practices.
Edward Snowden has been in Russia since last year, when he landed there on his way to Cuba.
Without a valid passport, the complainant was stranded at a Moscow airport for a month before being granted temporary asylum. His stay was extended this year when he was granted a three-year residence permit in the country. During his stay in Russia, he expressed interest in traveling to another country if his safety was guaranteed.
Despite the outrage that arose when the list of countries under NSA surveillance was made public, few countries offered asylum to Snowden and refused to extradite him to the US.
Snowden is wanted by the US on charges of espionage and theft of government assets, after stealing countless documents from NSA servers.
