Snowden fled to Hong Kong to avoid prosecution over the leak of classified material about the U.S. government’s surveillance programs. They issued a statement Thursday saying that the families want to move to Canada because they face persecution 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. The families have been publicly quoted as saying they hid Snowden in their apartments for weeks in 2013 before he went to Russia. “These families, including three young and stateless children, face persecution in Hong Kong and in their home countries,” the statement said.

Source: thestar March 09, 2017 23:24 UTC