S: No asylum for whistleblower Snowden

NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden is not welcome in Denmark, government party Socialdemokraterne (S) confirmed yesterday as former culture minister Uffe Elbæk called for a parliamentary vote to grant Snowden asylum.

While he expects Danish asylum will send the world the right signal, his proposal was met with scepticism by S's foreign relations spokesperson, John Dyrby Paulsen.

"It could also send the wrong signal,” Paulsen told Politiken newspaper. “Many aspects of the case are still unknown to us."

READ MORE: First Danish interview with Snowden

"Will documents posing a serious risk against national security emerge?" he continued. "We don't know, and that's why this isn't the right time to offer him asylum."

The government shares the same view as opposition parties Venstre (V) and Dansk Folkeparti (DF).

Asylum also rejected last year
Snowden currently resides in Russia where he was granted asylum for a year.

If parliament passes Elbæk's proposal, Denmark will become the first European nation to offer Snowden asylum, but it seems unlikely since a wide range of political parties also shot down his proposal last year.

TOP STORIES

  • Diplomatic tensions between US and Denmark after spying rumors

    Diplomatic tensions between US and Denmark after spying rumors

    A Wall Street Journal article describes that the US will now begin spying in Greenland. This worries the Danish foreign minister, who wants an explanation from the US’s leading diplomat. Greenlandic politicians think that Trump’s actions increase the sense of insecurity

  • Diplomacy meets Westeros: a dinner with the King, Queen – and Jaime Lannister

    Diplomacy meets Westeros: a dinner with the King, Queen – and Jaime Lannister

    What do King Frederik X, Queen Mary, UN Secretary-General António Guterres, and Jaime Lannister have in common? No, this isn’t the start of a very specific Shakespeare-meets-HBO fanfiction — it was just Wednesday night in Denmark

  • Huge boost to halt dropouts from vocational education

    Huge boost to halt dropouts from vocational education

    For many years, most young people in Denmark have preferred upper secondary school (Gymnasium). Approximately 20 percent of a year group chooses a vocational education. Four out of 10 young people drop out of a vocational education. A bunch of millions aims to change that

  • Beloved culture house saved from closure

    Beloved culture house saved from closure

    At the beginning of April, it was reported that Kapelvej 44, a popular community house situated in Nørrebro, was at risk of closing due to a loss of municipality funding

  • Mette Frederiksen: “If you harm the country that is hosting you, you shouldn’t be here at all”

    Mette Frederiksen: “If you harm the country that is hosting you, you shouldn’t be here at all”

    With reforms to tighten the rules for foreigners in Denmark without legal residency, and the approval of a reception package for internationals working in the care sector, internationals have been under the spotlight this week. Mette Frederiksen spoke about both reforms yesterday.

  • Tolerated, but barely: inside Denmark’s departure centers

    Tolerated, but barely: inside Denmark’s departure centers

    Currently, around 170 people live on “tolerated stay” in Denmark, a status for people who cannot be deported but are denied residency and basic rights. As SOS Racisme draws a concerning picture of their living conditions in departure centers, such as Kærshovedgård, they also suggest it might be time for Denmark to reinvent its policies on deportation

Connect club

Connect Club is your gateway to a vibrant programme of events and an international community in Denmark.

Sign up here

Career

Want to advertise your job with CPH Post?

Contact us

Jobs