Four people who helped hide former NSA contractor Edward Snowden from authorities in Hong Kong just arrived in Canada after being granted asylum. They reportedly hid Snowden in their apartment in Hong Kong when he was wanted by authorities for released classified documents.
Supun Thilina Kellapatha and Nadeeka Dilrukshi Nonis, who were originally from Sri Lanka, were living in Hong Kong when Snowden had asked for their help. The two along with their two children arrived in Toronto on Tuesday. The non-profit organization, For the Refugees, said the family is now ready to "start their new lives" in Canada.
The NGO had also sponsored the migration of two other people who they called Snowden's "guardian angels" in 2019. The group helped Vanessa Rodel and her daughter Keana, who were from the Philippines but lived in Hong Kong, move to Canada.
The group said the people in Hong Kong that helped Snowden had faced persecution from authorities for harboring a fugitive. Before they arrived in Canada, Kellapatha and Nonis had faced possible deportation after the Hong Kong government refused their refugee claims.
For the Refugees said they are still working to bring a seventh member of the group that helped Snowden into Canada. The seventh member, a Sri Lankan army deserter named Ajith Pushpakumara is reportedly still at risk in Hong Kong. The group has called on the Canadian government to expedite his asylum claim as "his safety is still at risk."
"We are happy with the end result - at least for six of the seven. We are asking that Canada [again] do the right thing and admit the last of Snowden's Guardian Angels before it's too late," the group said.
In 2013, the former computer intelligence consultant for the NSA and former subcontractor for the CIA had publicly disclosed classified documents that exposed the country's global surveillance programs. His disclosure of the surveillance programs, which were run by the NSA and international governments, sparked renewed discussions about national security and privacy.
After he was charged with espionage and theft of government property, Snowden fled to Hong Kong. A group of people agreed to shelter him for two weeks while he waiting for his flight to Russia, where is now a permanent resident.
