
Snowden needs "world's protection", says Venezuelan President - qubitsam
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/07/02/us-usa-security-snowden-idUSBRE96107520130702
======
rafaelm
I wonder why in the Venezuelan government's eyes it's OK for them to
constantly monitor and record every call, email,etc made by their political
opponents.

I wonder what would happen to an officer of the SEBIN (venezuelan inteligence
agency)if they came out with details about how they record every political
opponent movement. I wouldn't be surprised if they ended up being just another
statistic in the homicide rates.

They even had a late night TV show (La Hojilla) where a guy would play back
cell phone recordings and emails of the opposition politicians.Live. On TV. He
had carte blanche to insult,record anyone he wanted live on TV. Chavez would
often call in to the show to congratulate him.

They even had a Congress session where they played recordings of the cell
phone calls of the most prominent opposition members and their family. And
that was live on TV again!

Hipocrysy at it's best.

------
alan_cx
IMHO, there should be an independent UN protection.

If not, then how can any individual whistle blow against a country with the
power and reach of the US? We have the aggrieved party, a whole state, hunting
down an individual for exposing its wrong doing. Its a little bit one sided.

Although the problem with the UN is that its loaded with US allies and money.

But there should be some safe harbour, with fair process, for people who speak
out, where ever they come from and from who ever they are exposing.

~~~
threeseed
It's a cute and noble idea but pretty sure that more than just the US would be
against it. Because wait for it. Most countries spy. And most countries don't
appreciate rogue contractors jet-setting around the world revealing secrets
about the nature of the spying.

~~~
MikeCapone
Jet-setting?

"In journalism, jet set was a term for an international social group of
wealthy people, organizing and participating all around the world in social
activities unreachable to ordinary people. The term, which replaced "café
society", came from the lifestyle of traveling from one stylish or exotic
place to another via jet plane."

I'm pretty sure that tern doesn't apply to Snowden, a man who said he's
fleeing because he's afraid of spending the rest of his life in some "torture
dungeon" off the grid.

------
gadders
Yeah, but preferably from a democracy.

~~~
kome
yes, like Venezuela.
[http://www.freedomhouse.org/country/venezuela](http://www.freedomhouse.org/country/venezuela)

~~~
jeffasinger
Just because they have elections does not mean it's a democratic country.

I remember seeing anti-government graffiti late at night one night, and the
following afternoon it had been replaced with a portrait of Chavez. The people
who I talked to who were members of the opposition party were uncomfortable
talking about voting against Chavez. Admittedly this was way back in 2006, but
it still points to Venezuela not being the most free country.

~~~
Stwerp
I also was in Caracas in 2006. I remember seeing graffiti "Vota Por Chavez"
and the next day "Vota Por Chavez Jodete", the last part added overnight. It
all depends on where you were (this was near parque del este, a more middle-
class pro-opposition area).

I went in expecting a dictatorship and left feeling that it was a democracy.
Or at least much more than a hopeless dictatorship as all the articles I read
made it sound. There did exist fear about expressing anti-Chavez sentiment in
and around the barrios[1], but this was mainly due to fear of the people in
these areas being dangerous and potentially lashing out. And in fact, many
people were just scared of the barrios period.

[1] Poorer, temporary-turned permament housing throughout the city, if anyone
isn't familiar.

~~~
mc32
Most dictatorships have a semblance of normalcy. They need to have some kind
of economy. Typically, people are not cowering in their huts fearing being
bulldozed over at any moment. People can even prosper under dictatorships,
like say, in Chile, back in the 70s. There might even be cases where most
people 'have it good'. But it also means that a group or person makes all the
big calls and has power over the judiciary and can intimidate or coerce the
legislature.

It also means there are informant systems which keep an eye out for
'troublemakers' (opposition ideas) and people don't open up completely about
their dissatisfaction.

Christopher Anderson[1],[2] is left of center and he felt disappointed to put
it mildly, at what he saw in VZ.

[1][http://inmotion.magnumphotos.com/essay/capitolio](http://inmotion.magnumphotos.com/essay/capitolio)

[2][http://5b4.blogspot.com/2009/08/capitolio-by-christopher-
and...](http://5b4.blogspot.com/2009/08/capitolio-by-christopher-
anderson.html)

------
madb
I would hate to see Snowden ending up in Venezuela. He would not only become
another count to the homicide statistics in the country, but It will also give
Maduro, an illegitimate president, something to boast about.

~~~
laureny
> I would hate to see Snowden ending up in Venezuela.

Let's be realistic: at this point, the only countries that would offer him
asylum at the cost of defying the US are enemies of the US, such as
Afghanistan, Iran or Cuba.

~~~
_delirium
Especially considering it looks like he plans not to be quiet post-asylum. My
read of the Russian case is that they suggested he might get asylum there if
he basically drops off the radar and stops releasing things or being
politically involved, and he refused that condition. To be willing to give him
an _active_ base to work from going forward more or less requires a country
that either doesn't care or actively wants to snub the US, and doesn't mind
that he might keep doing things that will continue to antagonize the US for
years into the future.

That's one reason I think the Bobby Fischer asylum was easier for Iceland: he
was wanted by the U.S. for a one-time thing, violating sanctions by playing a
for-profit chess match in Serbia. There was not much chance he would be an
ongoing thorn in the side of US-Icelandic relations post-asylum, since he
could hardly continue to violate US sanctions from Iceland. The main risk was
just that he would say embarrassingly antisemitic conspiracy-theory stuff,
which he got sort of a pass on because people expect chess prodigies to be
nuts.

~~~
samstave
This really makes one wonder what more information he has. If he is unwilling
to silent for asylum, then is the reason that he has something else major that
he is determined to release?

------
marknutter
Then offer him asylum.

~~~
antris
TFA:

> "He deserves the world's protection. He has not asked us for it yet. When he
> does we will give our answer," Maduro told Reuters during a visit to Moscow.

------
hartator
I wonder what they mean by "former request" for asylum. Isn't asylum _the_
case where "former request" is hard to get and should not be a priority while
life seems at stake?

------
smsm42
Somehow I am not inclined to hear an advice on freedom and humanity from the
president of Venezuela... I understand they have their chance to stick it to
the US and using it to the fullest, but you have to watch who you align with.

------
kghose
I used to think he was a pawn.

Now I think he has some sensitive information and he's auctioning it and he
has raised his profile to avoid being removed.

~~~
laureny
> Now I think he has some sensitive information and he's auctioning it

That would make him a full-blown traitor.

~~~
WildUtah
_Treason against the United States, shall consist only in levying War against
them, or in adhering to their Enemies, giving them Aid and Comfort._

Since the USA is not -- legally -- at war and none of the "terrists" the
military is pursuing are able to offer asylum, it would not be treason.

It would surely be espionage, though. And that's bad enough.

