Group asks court to expedite refugee status for “Snowden’s Guardian Angels”
OTTAWA — A group of lawyers are hoping the courts will force the federal government to speed up refugee applications for three families who helped hide former CIA whistleblower Edward Snowden in Hong Kong.
The lawyers have asked a Federal Court judge to order Ottawa to live up to it obligations to protect refugees, and process the families’ claims immediately.
Lawyer Michael Simkin says there are fears the families could be arrested any day, making it more difficult to have them resettled in Canada.
The families, originally from Sri Lanka and the Philippines, have so far been denied asylum in Hong Kong, and launched appeals Monday to have deportation orders against them lifted.