Refuge or Asylum? Snowden's Options in Russia
MOSCOW, July 17 (RIA Novosti) - It took fugitive former US intelligence contractor Edward Snowden more than three days to submit an official request for asylum in Russia, after he voiced his intention to do so at meeting with human rights activists last Friday in his Moscow airport refuge.
According to Russian lawyer Anatoly Kucherena, who helped Snowden with the process, the fugitive former eavesdropper needed to study all the peculiarities of Russian law before applying. Snowden told activists last Friday he was going to seek "temporary political asylum" in Russia, but was later told there is no such thing in Russia. That left Snowden at least three other options to consider under Russian law:
http://en.rian.ru/russia/20130717/182277513/Refuge-or-Asylum-Snowdens-Options-in-Russia.html
The three options are political asylum (permanent), refugee status (3 years, renewable), and temporary asylum (1 year, renewable).
