NSA leaker Snowden not interrogated by Russian police, Assange says

PanARMENIAN.Net - Fugitive US intelligence leaker Edward Snowden was not interrogated by special services after his arrival to Russia, Wikileaks founder Julian Assange said on Friday, August 16, according to RIA Novosti.

In an interview with Fairfax Media, the founder of the anti-secrecy organization has confirmed that WikiLeaks personnel have continuously accompanied Snowden since he left Hong Kong for Moscow on June 23.

"Since Hong Kong we have had someone physically by his side the entire time," Assange said. “We have had someone with him for 54 days."

The statement comes amid media speculations that Snowden has fallen into the hands of the Russian state security services.

When asked specifically whether Snowden had been interviewed by the Federal Security Service (FSB), or any other Russian special service, Assange answered: "No, he has not."

WikiLeaks has been "watching the situation closely and the Russian authorities have behaved well," Assange said.

Snowden, a former contractor for the US National Security Agency (NSA), is wanted by the United States on espionage and other charges after he gave journalists classified documents detailing the NSA’s far-reaching electronic and telephone surveillance programs. He was granted temporary asylum in Russia last month.