Dokumen Snowden Bisa Jadi `Mimpi Buruk`bagi AS
Snowden Documents Could be `Worst Nighmare` for US
Editor : Cahyani Harzi
Translator : Dhelia Gani
 umum - b.jpg)
Moskow (B2B) - Edward Snowden memiliki data yang bisa lebih jauh ´merusak´ reputasi pemerintah Amerika Serikat namun sang buronan pembocor data intelijen ini memilih tidak menyiarkannya, kata seorang wartawan yang pertama kali memberitakan Snowden, Glenn Greenwald.
Kepada koran Argentina La Nacion, Greenwald mengatakan Snowden hanya ingin mengingatkan orang akan informasi yang seharusnya pribadi namun telah dieksploitasi dinas intelijen AS, seperti dilansir Yahoo.
"Snowden punya cukup informasi yang bisa lebih jauh merusakkan pemerintah AS dalam satu menit dibandingkan dengan siapa pun yang pernah melakukannya dalam sejarah Amerika Serikat," kata dia dalam wawancara yang disiarkan Sabtu waktu setempat atau Minggu pagi WIB.
"Tapi itu bukan tujuannya," kata Greenwald, yang menerbitkan rangkaian dokumen bocoran dari Snowden di koran Inggris, Guardian.
Snowden terlunta-lunta di bandara Sheremetyevo, Moskow, setelah paspornya dicabut pemerintah AS tiga pekan sebelumnya.
Jumat lalu Snowden tiba-tiba mengumpulkan para aktivis Rusia di tempatnya demi mengutarakan keinginannya mencari suaka di Rusia hingga dia aman pergi ke Amerika Latin yang akan menjadi tempat penampungan permanennya.
Dia menarik permohonan suakanya ke Rusia awal bulan ini setelah Presiden Rusia Vladimir Putin mengatakan dia mesti menghentikan dahulu menyiarkan dokumen yang memalukan Washington itu jika ingin menetap di Rusia.
Setelah itu Amnesti Internasional mengulangi dukungannya kepada Snowden dan mengutuk apa yang digambarkan lembaga ini sebagai peradilan AS kepada Snowden, sedangkan Human Rights Watch menuduh Washington menghalang-halangi Snowden mencari suaka dan ini melanggar hukum internasional.
Sementara itu, Menteri Luar Negeri Rusia Sergei Lavrov mengatakan Snowden mesti mengajukan surat permintaan suaka kepada Kantor Imigrasi Federal (FMS).
Kepala FMS Konstantin Romodanovsky, Sabtu kemarin, mengaku belum menerima apa-apa dari Snowden. Jika dia telah mengajukan permohonan suaka, kata Romodanovsky, maka Rusia akan mempertimbangkannya menurut prosedur biasa.
Washington bereaksi keras atas kemungkinan Moskow memberi penampungan untuk Snowden ini.
"Memberi platform propaganda kepada Snowden sama halnya dengan menentang deklarasi pemerintah Rusia sebelumnya mengenai netralitas Rusia," kata juru bicara Gedung Putih Jay Carney.
Moskow - Edward Snowden possesses data that could prove far more "damaging" to the US government but the fugitive leaker has chosen not to release them, said a journalist who first broke the story.
Glenn Greenwald told Argentina´s La Nacion paper that Snowden, who is currently stranded in Moscow, had only sought to alert people that information they thought was private was being exploited by US intelligence agencies.
"Snowden has enough information to cause more damage to the US government in a minute alone than anyone else has ever had in the history of the United States," he told the paper in an interview published on Saturday.
"But that´s not his goal," said Greenwald, who published a series of stories in Britain´s Guardian newspaper based on top-secret documents about sweeping US surveillance programmes that were leaked by Snowden.
His comments came as Russia waited Sunday for a promised request for asylum from Snowden.
Snowden on Friday dramatically summoned Russian activists to his temporary base, to say he wanted to claim asylum in Russia until he could safely travel to Latin America for a permanent sanctuary.
He withdrew an initial request earlier this month after Russian President Vladimir Putin said he would have to stop releasing information embarrassing to Washington if he wanted to stay.
After Snowden made his statement Amnesty International reiterated its support for him and denounced what it described as US government persecution of him.
Human Rights Watch accused Washington of trying to block Snowden´s attempts to claim asylum and said that was in violation of his rights under international law.
Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Snowden would have to submit his application to the Federal Migration Service (FMS), Russian news agencies reported.
Washington has reacted sharply to the possibility that Moscow might offer Snowden a safe harbour.
"We would urge the Russian government to afford human rights organisations the ability to do their work in Russia throughout Russia, not just at the Moscow transit lounge," White House spokesman Jay Carney said.
