Snowden could be granted asylum in Switzerland in order to testify against NSA • Hacker News Board

Re: Snowden could be granted asylum in Switzerland in order to testify against NSA

#11

Post by saalweachter » Mon, Sep 08, 2014, 2:00 PM UTC

jacquesm wrote: post #3

gambiting wrote: post #2

I wonder if Russia would let him go if Switzerland did really grant him an Asylum.

Of course they will. How he will get there is another matter, he'll have to cross at least two other countries and we've already seen a plane ordered down in order for it to be searched. Whether some nation in the flightpath from Russia to Switzerland would have the required fortitude to do that to a plane owned by the Swiss government is another matter entirely. Pissing off Bolivia is probably a mild '2' in internat…

Give Russia some time; they're working on reducing the number of countries between them and Switzerland.

Re: Snowden could be granted asylum in Switzerland in order to testify against NSA

#12

Post by RexRollman » Mon, Sep 08, 2014, 2:05 PM UTC

ck2 wrote: post #9

EthanHeilman wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The Swiss embassy in Moscow, Russia[0] is Swiss territory. This is how Julian Assange got asylum as well. [0]: http://www.eda.admin.ch/moscow

I saw something recently where British taxpayers have paid millions now in overtime because the government insists on 24/7 police surrounding the embassy where Assange has been living.

Serves them right.

Re: Snowden could be granted asylum in Switzerland in order to testify against NSA

#13

Post by lukasm » Mon, Sep 08, 2014, 2:07 PM UTC

Not sure if this is the right place to go considering Polanski's case.

Re: Snowden could be granted asylum in Switzerland in order to testify against NSA

#14

Post by jacquesm » Mon, Sep 08, 2014, 2:09 PM UTC

tomp wrote: post #5

jacquesm wrote: post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Of course they will. How he will get there is another matter, he'll have to cross at least two other countries and we've already seen a plane ordered down in order for it to be searched. Whether some nation in the flightpath from Russia to Switzerland would have the required fortitude to do that to a plane owned by the Swiss government is another matter entirely. Pissing off Bolivia is probably a mild '2' in internat…

> Of course they will. You haven't really substantiated your claim. I assume the parent poster was referring to the fact that Snowden is (potentially) a very valuable asset.

Snowden has repeatedly asserted that the documents are out of his control, the only value that he has is in a potential barter deal with the US. Since even in the cold war spies were traded rather than those that fled their home country I highly doubt such a scenario could materialize. It would also make Putin look even worse than he already does on the international stage, and more importantly he'd look bad in the eyes of his own people (assuming they'd ever hear about it).

Snowdens main value to Russia has so far been of the PR variety (And mostly for the home front at that, 'sticking it to the USA').

If you wish to make the case that Snowden will not be permitted to leave Russia then I think that is the claim that needs substantiation, rather than the opposite.

Maybe you're right and they won't let him go but that would need a plausible scenario first.

Re: Snowden could be granted asylum in Switzerland in order to testify against NSA

#15

Post by DominikR » Mon, Sep 08, 2014, 2:11 PM UTC

sfk wrote: post #10

jacquesm wrote: post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Of course they will. How he will get there is another matter, he'll have to cross at least two other countries and we've already seen a plane ordered down in order for it to be searched. Whether some nation in the flightpath from Russia to Switzerland would have the required fortitude to do that to a plane owned by the Swiss government is another matter entirely. Pissing off Bolivia is probably a mild '2' in internat…

He can also fly Aeroflot. Highly unlikely to be ordered down by anyone.

Multiple Aeroflot machines with Russian officials on board that were on they way home have been forced to land in EU countries because of sanctions.

The only plane that probably would be safe is the Russian presidential plane.

Re: Snowden could be granted asylum in Switzerland in order to testify against NSA

#16

Post by jacquesm » Mon, Sep 08, 2014, 2:11 PM UTC

saalweachter wrote: post #11

jacquesm wrote: post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Of course they will. How he will get there is another matter, he'll have to cross at least two other countries and we've already seen a plane ordered down in order for it to be searched. Whether some nation in the flightpath from Russia to Switzerland would have the required fortitude to do that to a plane owned by the Swiss government is another matter entirely. Pissing off Bolivia is probably a mild '2' in internat…

Give Russia some time; they're working on reducing the number of countries between them and Switzerland.

East-Ukraine is not between Russia and Switzerland on any conceivable flight path and West-Ukraine barely so. But that was a funny comment.

Re: Snowden could be granted asylum in Switzerland in order to testify against NSA

#17

Post by jacquesm » Mon, Sep 08, 2014, 2:13 PM UTC

lukasm wrote: post #13

Not sure if this is the right place to go considering Polanski's case.

Polanski was eventually released and was never granted asylum in Switzerland.

Re: Snowden could be granted asylum in Switzerland in order to testify against NSA

#18

Post by comrade1 » Mon, Sep 08, 2014, 2:20 PM UTC

jacquesm wrote: post #17

lukasm wrote: post #13

Not sure if this is the right place to go considering Polanski's case.

Polanski was eventually released and was never granted asylum in Switzerland.

I see him in Gstaad every year. He's a tiny guy.

Re: Snowden could be granted asylum in Switzerland in order to testify against NSA

#19

Post by toomuchtodo » Mon, Sep 08, 2014, 2:30 PM UTC

ck2 wrote: post #9

EthanHeilman wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The Swiss embassy in Moscow, Russia[0] is Swiss territory. This is how Julian Assange got asylum as well. [0]: http://www.eda.admin.ch/moscow

I saw something recently where British taxpayers have paid millions now in overtime because the government insists on 24/7 police surrounding the embassy where Assange has been living.

Helicopter?

Re: Snowden could be granted asylum in Switzerland in order to testify against NSA

#20

Post by tptacek » Mon, Sep 08, 2014, 2:32 PM UTC

EthanHeilman wrote: post #6

spacefight wrote: post #4

The swiss gov would need to find a new way to grant asylum first - as since a couple of months, one needs to apply for asylum directly in Switzerland.

The Swiss embassy in Moscow, Russia[0] is Swiss territory. This is how Julian Assange got asylum as well. [0]: http://www.eda.admin.ch/moscow

Not that it impacts the point you're trying to make, but it's a misconception that embassies are the territories of the countries they represent. The Swiss embassy in Moscow is Russian sovereign territory.