Edward Snowden plans to seek asylum in Russia, an MP among those meeting the NSA leaker said today.
Duma member Vyacheslav Nikonov told reporters of Mr Snowden's intentions after he and a dozen other prominent officials and activists met him in the transit zone of Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport, where he has been marooned since June 23 after arriving from Hong Kong.
The activists included Sergei Nikitin, head of Amnesty International's Russia office, and Tatiana Lokshina, deputy head of the Russian office of Human Rights Watch. Also taken into the meeting room were Russia's presidential human rights ombudsman Vladimir Lukin, prominent attorney Genri Reznik, and Nikonov.
They came after an email in Mr Snowden's name was sent yesterday. On Facebook, Ms Lokshina posted the text of the email, which says in part that Mr Snowden wants to make "a brief statement and discussion regarding the next steps forward in my situation."
Hundreds of journalists flocked to the airport, but were kept in a hallway outside the meeting area which was behind a gray door marked "staff only." It was not clear if Mr Snowden would have to come out that door or if he could exit by another route.
The text of the invitation did not directly address the offers of asylum that he has received from Venezuela, Bolivia and Nicaragua, though it expressed gratitude for asylum offers and says "I hope to travel to each of them." It accuses the United States of "an unlawful campaign ... to deny my right to seek and enjoy this asylum."
Mr Reznik said before the meeting that he expected Mr Snowden called for it to seek asylum in Russia.
he made an earlier application for Russian asylum. But Russian President Vladimir Putin said asylum would be conditional on Mr Snowden stopping leaking US secrets; he then withdrew his asylum bid, Russian officials said.
How much the human rights organisations could influence a Russian asylum bid or other aspects of Mr Snowden's dilemma is unclear. Mr Putin takes a dim view of non-governmental organizations' involvement in political matters.
But an appeal by Mr Snowden to internationally respected groups could boost his status and give Russia a pretext for reconsidering asylum.
mr Snowden has not been seen in public since arriving in Moscow from Hong Kong, where he had fled before his leaks about American internet surveillance were made public. Russia has said it cannot extradite him because by remaining in the transit zone he is technically outside Russian territory.
Venezuela, Nicaragua and Bolivia have said they would be willing to grant asylum. But it is unclear if he could fly from Moscow to any of those countries without passing through the airspace of the United States or allied countries.