Edward Snowden (EPA)
Leaking computer whiz Edward Snowden insisted he’s not dodging American justice while keeping a low profile in Hong Kong, according to a published report.
Snowden said he’d put his faith in the region’s legal system, should he be arrested for exposing US surveillance programs.
“I am not here to hide from justice,” he told the South China Morning Post. “I am here to reveal criminality.”
Snowden dropped out of sight after checking out of his hotel on Monday.
“People who think I made a mistake in picking Hong Kong as a location misunderstand my intentions,” he told the English-language daily.
“I have had many opportunities to flee (Hong Kong), but I would rather stay and fight the United States government in the courts, because I have faith in Hong Kong’s rule of law.”
So for now, he plans to use Hong Kong as his base of operations. The SCMP reported that it found Snowden today and interviewed him.
Snowden has been widely criticized in the United States for exposing the nation’s anti-terror secret.
The 29-year-old former National Security Agency contractor insisted that he’s “neither a traitor nor hero.”
“I’m an American,” Snowden said.
Snowden arrived in Hong Kong from his home in Hawaii on May 20, shortly after he took leave from his NSA-contractor employer Booz Allen Hamilton.
Hong Kong is a special administrative region that – while ultimately under control of the People’s Republic of China – still employs a Western-style legal system with freedom of speech.
US authorities have not yet filed charges against Snowden or requested his arrest and extradition.
“My intention is to ask the courts and people of Hong Kong to decide my fate,” Snowden said.
If Hong Kong authorities seek his arrest, Snowden said he’d comply.
“As long as I am assured a free and fair trial, and asked to appear, that seems reasonable,” he said.
Snowden said he’ll remain in Hong Kong until he’s “asked to leave.”
The American snitch revealed to the SCMP that the NSA has been regularly hacking into computers of Hong Kong and mainland China institutions.
“We hack network backbones – like huge internet routers, basically – that give us access to the communications of hundreds of thousands of computers without having to hack every single one,” he said.
“Last week the American government happily operated in the shadows with no respect for the consent of the governed, but no longer. Every level of society is demanding accountability and oversight.”
Snowden believes US authorities are pressuring China and Hong Kong to kick him out.
“Unfortunately, the US government is now bullying the Hong Kong government to prevent me from continuing my work,” he said.
“I do not currently feel safe due to the pressure the US government is applying to Hong Kong, but I feel that Hong Kong itself has a strong civil tradition that whistle-blowers should not fear.”
He’s not reached out to his family or dancer girlfriend since going public with NSA secrets.
“I have not spoken to any of my family,” he said. “I am worried about the pressure they are feeling from the FBI.”
With AP