Edward Snowden may have no trouble staying longer in a Russian airport, and Ecuador wants the U.S. to argue why he should not be given political asylum.
Pleading for asylum from U.S. officials he says want to persecute him, NSA leaker Edward Snowden told Ecuadorian officials that he fears a life of inhumane treatment -- even death -- if he's returned the United States to answer espionage charges, the country's foreign minister said Monday.
If Snowden does apply for asylum in Ecuador, it would lead to legal questions with little precedent should the U.S. apply to have him returned. Eli Lake and Ben Jacobs report.