Snowden Asylum Request: Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro Says Formal Request Has Been Received

The government of Venezuela has received a formal request from NSA leaker Edward Snowden, according to Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, who had already offered Snowden asylum on Friday. Asked about possible retaliation from the United States for sheltering him, Maduro indicated that his country would not be swayed, saying, "We're a free and sovereign country." The White House has warned that Snowden should not be permitted to travel to any other country other than the United States, where he is wanted on charges of theft of government property and two counts of espionage.

Maduro made the announcement at a press conference just before a meeting with Panama's president, Ricardo Martinelli. It remained to be seen whether Snowden would accept Venezuela's offer and, if so, how he would get to Venezuela from the Moscow international airport, where he remains holed up.

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Elias Jaua, the head of Venezuela's foreign ministry, said on Saturday that Venezuela would have to consult with Russia as to how to arrange the flight. "We have to be in contact with the government of the Russian Federation. He's there, obviously not on Venezuelan territory. The opinion of the Russian government on the topic would have to be established."

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On Monday, Uruguay's first lady, Senator Lucia Topolansky, said her country would consider granting Snowden asylum as well. "This issue should be considered, once a request is filed," Topolansky said, according to RT. "Uruguay has traditionally been a country that grants asylum. I think that every country is free to shelter whomever it wants."

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Maduro's offer on Friday came after Evo Morales, the president of Bolivia and close ally of Venezuela, saw his access to Italian, French, Spanish and Portuguese airspace suddenly revoked after it was rumored that he was ferrying Edward Snowden home to Bolivia from Russia on his presidential plane. The rumor turned out to be unfounded; Morales was forced to stop over in Vienna. On Saturday, the Bolivian president made his own offer of asylum to Snowden, calling it "a just protest" against the European countries' move, which has widely been understood as a concession to the United States. In granting Snowden asylum, Bolivia joined Venezuela as well as Nicaragua, whose president Daniel Ortega made a similar if slightly more tepid offer on Friday.

Nicaragua also confirmed on Monday that it had also received an official asylum request from Snowden.