Edward Snowden on 'Snowden angels' and his warning for Canada

wait is this your ski jacket maybe it's jet lag maybe it's the novelty of her new world in Canada but Kiana rode l cannot stay still for a moment as for how she got here that starts with a picture of this man whistleblower Edward Snowden wanted by the US for divulging his country's surveillance secrets back in 2013 who's that so do you remember him or just remember hearing stories about it I do remember that much about him mrs. it was a long time past you were pretty little yes do I going number him remember why he was staying with you oh yeah he has to be sheltered she's right for two weeks in 2013 Snowden hid with her family before escaping to Russia their lawyer was Snowden's lawyer too and asked them to help out it's great eventually endangered by that generosity escape was their only option as Vanessa Rodell knows Canada their only refuge I feel like oh this is my second home that give me a big chance to change my life and I can't believe that I'm here right now you know as we're talking you're especially hanging onto your phone yeah who's at the other end of the phone there that that you're thinking about all the time I'm always thinking about the two families still in Hong Kong I wanna be put here in Canada the others are those who helped shelter Snowden all of them vulnerable asylum seekers still in Hong Kong including Kiana's father and half siblings meaning a family is now split and this is where the good story of a mother and daughter's safety becomes a story of threats that persist you don't do a lot of interviews but something about this is so urgent that you've decided you have to do what is it these people helped me in in 2013 and yet here we hook 2019 and they only just now are having their first claims for protection recognized these are people who can't go outside without being recognized without being followed by people like the Sri Lankan police they should be able to wake up in the morning without worrying the next day are they going to be detained by the Hong Kong police and sent back to Sri Lanka where they're facing death this is a scene from the 2016 Oliver Stone film snowden and this is arguably a moment where so much changed the Canadian lawyer Robert Tebow taking Snowden to meet Vanessa and the others these are good people they won't talk now in cases few years then they're like you like this that's some nice stateless it was in the process of this movie being made and aired that the secret of how he was hidden got out and the danger for them escalated you may not feel like II D Tebow who has been chased out of Hong Kong was back in Canada to greet Vanessa and Keanu last week and is still fighting for the others but Snowden senses a disturbing delay you know III have nothing but thanks for for Canada and for the government of Trudeau I mean particularly for Quebec because they are the only province that allowed these families to apply in their situation the problem is it's not enough well what are you asking the Government of Canada to do they need to admit sapone ajit 'no dica and their children into canada and the only one who is in a position to do so right who has the legal framework to do so right now is Canada but the Prime Minister has said that that this process is independent that that he can't intervene so what are your it's this process it's independent right if it's truly independent they already would have been admit I believe and everyone else believes the only reason this process for admission has taken so long is simply because the Canadian government's bending over backwards not to create an appearance that might irritate the United States government because helping the people who helped you might look like Canada is helping a man the United States considers to be a traitor right that's what they would say but the only thing they did is they helped someone who is facing retaliation for telling the truth and if that's something that kid I can't stand behind right that's something we need to know publicly rather than sort of doing a privately a reminder about Snowden he is still a fugitive arranging to talk with him in exile in Russia is a bit of a complicated confidential process do you think they're gonna find you there I think under the US sort of legal regime right now they embrace the practice called extraordinary rendition which basically means kidnapping it actually literally means kidnapping where it doesn't matter whether you have asylum if they can basically just snatch you it is entirely legal in the u.s. system of law to take you back and throw you in jail do you get recognized on the streets in Russia that's what this is for you know I actually I don't get recognized very often if I'm in the grocery store no one recognizes me if I'm on the metro no one recognizes me if I go into a computer store like I haven't even walked through the door and instantly everyone knows it's me it's the weirdest thing and are you always looking out to think is that guy going to kidnap me is this mango and weave render me back if the United States government is gonna take some action against me if someone's gonna god forbid you know assassinate me on the street that's only going to prove my point I've done as much as I can and I'm gonna continue to do more and more as I had the days but I'm satisfied with the choices that I've made and however much time that I have I can only be grateful for grateful yes but aware that just about everyone who has helped him has had to pay in some way so was it worth it exposing unlawful or unconstitutional activities is always gonna be a risky thing but that doesn't mean it needs to be a dangerous thing don't just watch what's happening do something about it that's a plea from someone not really in a position to do anything else but his supporters in Canada are pushing as hard as they can I really wanted to make them feel welcome so what better way than to watch a hops game Thank You Vanessa and Keanu taken to watch their first hockey game in Montreal the bar encouraged to raise money for them for the refugees as the charity for them is called it's all nice it's all new it's all a bit bewildering to be safe but still so far from secure

Channel: CBC News: The National

Views: 370,821

Rating: 4.8023415 out of 5

Keywords: Edward Snowden, whistleblower, fugitive, Russia, government surveillance, U.S. citizens, exposed, Hong Kong, refugees, mother daughter, Canada asylum, CBC, The National, Adrienne Arsenault, Snowden angels, angels, CIA, NSA

Id: f3BGAEkdY94

Length: 7min 45sec (465 seconds)

Published: Wed Apr 03 2019