Manning sentence can prompt Snowden fate: Russian MP

PanARMENIAN.Net - The sentence the U.S. court will pass upon Wikileaks informant Private Bradley Manning will show what fugitive former intelligence contractor Edward Snowden can expect should he return to the United States, a senior Russian lawmaker said, according to RIA Novosti.

U.S. media cited military officials as saying that the judge who will decide the fate of Manning, accused in a large-scale leak of classified information related to warfare in Afghanistan and Iraq a few years ago, reached a verdict and it will be announced Tuesday, July 30.

“When Manning gets his sentence for handing files to Wikileaks, it would be clear what Snowden can expect if he returns to the U.S,” Alexei Pushkov, the head of the Russian lower house’s international committee, said on his Twitter account.

Snowden, who is wanted by the United States for leaking classified data about the National Security Agency’s surveillance programs, formally requested temporary asylum in Russia on July 16.

Washington has repeatedly called on Moscow to reject Snowden’s request and send him back to the United States to stand trial on charges of espionage and theft.