Canada asked to take in families who sheltered Edward Snowden in Hong Kong
HONG KONG — Lawyers for three families who sheltered Edward Snowden in Hong Kong say they have formally asked the Canadian government to grant them asylum.
They issued a statement Thursday saying that the families want to move to Canada because they face persecution in Hong Kong.
Snowden fled to Hong Kong to avoid prosecution over the leak of classified material about the U.S. government’s surveillance programs.
A congressional inquiry into the former U.S. National Security Agency contractor concluded that he compromised national security by the leaks.