III 

113TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. RES. 198 

Expressing the sense of the Senate that the Government of the Russian 

Federation should turn over Edward Snowden to United States authorities, and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JULY 18, 2013 

Mr. GRAHAM (for himself and Mr. SCHUMER) submitted the following 

resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations 

RESOLUTION 

Expressing the sense of the Senate that the Government 

of the Russian Federation should turn over Edward 

Snowden to United States authorities, and for other purposes. 

Whereas Edward Snowden leaked classified information to 

various sources including the Guardian and the Washington Post; 

Whereas Mr. Snowden fled the United States to Hong Kong 

on May 20, 2013, with multiple laptops containing highly 

classified information; 

Whereas, on June 5, 2013, the press reported classified information relating to the national security of the United 

States; 


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•SRES 198 IS 

Whereas Mr. Snowden’s actions have compromised the national security of the United States; 

Whereas, on June 9, 2013, Mr. Snowden publicly stated, ‘‘I 

have no intention of hiding who I am because I know I 

have done nothing wrong.’’; 

Whereas, on June 23, 2013, Mr. Snowden departed Hong 

Kong en route to Moscow, Russia; 

Whereas Mr. Snowden has been staying on Russian territory 

in the Sheremetyevo Airport since his arrival; 

Whereas the Sheremetyevo Airport is part of the sovereign 

territory of the Russian Federation; 

Whereas, on June 14, 2013, the United States Government 

filed a criminal complaint against Edward Snowden for 

charges under section 641 (relating to theft of Government property), section 793(d) (relating to unauthorized 

communication of national defense information), and section 798(a)(3) (relating to the willful communication of 

classified communications intelligence information to an 

unauthorized person) of title 18, United States Code; 

Whereas Mr. Snowden has stated his intentions to continue 

to leak classified information and poses a continuing 

threat to the security of the United States; 

Whereas Mr. Snowden has applied for asylum in at least 21 

countries, including a number of countries with some of 

the worst human rights records, including the Russian 

Federation, Cuba, Venezuela, Nicaragua, Bolivia, and 

Ecuador; 

Whereas, on July 16, 2013, Mr. Snowden applied for temporary asylum in the Russian Federation in order to facilitate his transit to Latin America; 


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•SRES 198 IS 

Whereas the Department of State Human Rights Report for 

2012 cites the Russian Federation’s restrictions on civil 

liberties and the denial of due process, allegations of torture and excessive force by law enforcement officials; lifethreatening prison conditions; interference in the judiciary and the right to a fair trial; abridgement of the right 

to privacy; restrictions on minority religions; widespread 

corruption; societal and official intimidation of civil society and labor activists; limitations on the rights of workers; trafficking in persons; and attacks on migrants and 

select religious and ethnic minorities; 

Whereas, on July 6, 2013, President of Venezuela Nicolas 

Maduro offered asylum to Snowden, stating, ‘‘In the 

name of America’s dignity . . . I have decided to offer 

humanitarian asylum to Edward Snowden.’’; 

Whereas the Department of State Human Rights Report for 

2012 cites the Government of Venezuela for corruption, 

inefficiency, and politicization in the judicial system; government actions to impede freedom of expression; harsh 

and life-threatening prison conditions; government use of 

the judiciary to intimidate and selectively prosecute political, union, business, and civil society leaders who were 

critical of government policies or actions; government 

harassment and intimidation of privately owned television 

stations, other media outlets, and journalists throughout 

the year, using threats, fines, property seizures, targeted 

regulations, and criminal investigations and prosecutions; 

and failure to provide for due process rights, physical 

safety, and humane conditions for inmates, which contributed to widespread violence, riots, injuries, and deaths 

in prisons; 


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•SRES 198 IS 

Whereas, on June 25, 2013, President of Russia Vladmir 

Putin stated that the Russian Federation would never extradite Edward Snowden to the United States; 

Whereas, on July 16, 2013, White House spokesman Jay 

Carney stated that Mr. Snowden should be expelled from 

the Russian Federation and returned to the United 

States to face trial, stating, ‘‘He is not a human rights 

activist, he is not a dissident. He is accused of leaking 

classified information.’’; and 

Whereas, on July 16, 2013, President Putin stated that Mr. 

Snowden ‘‘came to our territory without invitation, we 

did not invite him’’ and that ‘‘[we] have certain relations 

with the United States and we don’t want [Snowden] to 

damage our ties’’: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That it is the sense of the Senate that— 

2 (1) the Government of the Russian Federation’s 

3 continued willingness to provide shelter to Edward 

4 Snowden is negatively impacting bilateral relations 

5 with the United States; 

6 (2) the Government of the Russian Federation 

7 should immediately turn Edward Snowden over to 

8 the appropriate United States authorities so he can 

9 stand trial in the United States; 

10 (3) the President should consider options, in11 cluding recommending a different location for the 

12 September 2013 G20 summit in St. Petersburg, 

13 Russia, should the Russian Federation continue to 

14 allow shelter for Mr. Snowden; and 


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•SRES 198 IS 

1 (4) the United States Government should con2 sider all economic and diplomatic options when pur3 suing Mr. Snowden. 

Æ 


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