Snowden is currently living under temporary asylum in Russia, which is set to expire next summer.
The world’s most notorious secret-spiller is looking for a new home.
Edward Snowden, the former CIA employee who blew the lid off of the National Security Agency’s secret surveillance programs, is offering to help the Brazil government investigate U.S. spying, but says he needs permanent asylum before he is able to speak freely.
“I’ve expressed my willingness to assist where it’s appropriate and legal, but unfortunately, the U.S. government has been working hard to limit by ability to do so,” Snowden said in an open letter in Brazil’s Folha newspaper.
“Until a country grants me permanent asylum, the U.S. government will continue to interfere with my ability to speak out.”
Snowden is currently living under temporary asylum in Russia, which is set to expire next summer. The former NSA contractor is behind the thousands upon thousands of documents leaked last June detailing the United States’ expansive surveillance programs. The troves of leaked material sparked controversy both in the U.S. and around the globe in bringing to light the breadth of the agency’s data-gathering.
Just on Monday, federal Judge Richard Leon ruled that the NSA data-collection of millions of Americans’ phone records is likely unconstitutional.
Snowden praised the Brazilian government’s criticism of the NSA program, which has included monitoring Brazil President Dilma Rousseff’s phone. In September, Rousseff canceled a visit to the United States over the allegations.
“The illegal act of intercepting communications and data of citizens, businesses and members of the Brazilian government constitute a serious act which threatens national sovereignty and individual rights, and which is incompatible with democratic coexistence between friendly countries,” Rousseff’s office said in a statement at the time.
White House spokesman Jay Carney said in a statement that Obama regretted the concerns resulting from the allegations that that he’d work to strengthen U.S. relations with Brazil.
Snowden said in his letter that U.S. lawmakers say “Brazil should not worry, because this is not ‘surveillance’ it’s ‘data collection.’ They say it is done to keep you safe. They’re wrong.”
This is the second appeal Snowden has made to the South American country. Last July, along with the help of the transparency group WikiLeaks, Snowden reached out to almost two dozen countries, including Brazil, to request asylum.
Brazilian officials did not extend an offer to Snowden in July, and have not yet responded to the American’s recent letter.