Snowden seeks asylum in sunny Brazil

Edward Snowden. AP FILE PHOTO

BRASÍLIA – Former intelligence contractor Edward Snowden, wanted by US authorities and currently living in Russia, said in a TV interview Sunday that he has applied for asylum in Brazil.

“I would love to live in Brazil,” Snowden told Brazil’s Globo TV.

Snowden’s temporary asylum in Russia expires in August. Washington has revoked his US passport, so his travel options are limited.

Snowden, who was interviewed with reporter Glenn Greenwald by his side, said that he has formally asked several countries for asylum, including Brazil.

Greenwald is an American living in Brazil. He writes for The Guardian and has published much of the information that Snowden has leaked.

Brazil’s foreign ministry however has said that it has received no formal asylum request from Snowden.

In the interview,  Snowden said that he would not offer documents to any country in exchange for a safe haven, because asylum should be granted for humanitarian reasons.

However,  he said that he had more documents to release relating to US spying on countries that include Britain and Brazil.

When documents he released last year showed that US agencies had been spying on Brazil, President Dilma Rousseff cancelled a state visit to Washington.

In an earlier interview with NBC, Snowden said that he was open to the possibility of clemency or amnesty, and would like to return home one day.

The Obama administration says Snowden is welcome to return, but only to face trial for exposing sensitive information it says aided US enemies.