In a letter sent to the Russian government, Attorney General Eric Holder made it clear that the U.S. will not seek the death penalty against former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden, and would issue him a passport immediately so he could travel back to the states.
In the letter, which was published by the New York Times on Friday and dated July 23, the attorney general said the criminal charges Snowden faces do not carry the death penalty. Additionally, the U.S. will not seek capitol punishment even if Snowden is charged with additional death penalty-eligible crimes.
Earlier this year, the 29-year-old former CIA contractor leaked highly classified documents exposing the federal government's secret electronic surveillance programs, which tap into millions of Americans' phone and Internet usage records. Snowden has filed papers seeking temporary asylum in Russia on grounds that if he were returned to the United States, he would be tortured and would face the death penalty.
"I can report that the United States is prepared to provide to the Russian government the following assurances regarding the treatment Mr. Snowden would face upon return to the United States," wrote Holder in a letter addressed to Alexander Vladimirovich Konovalov, the Russian minister of justice.
"First, the United States would not seek the death penalty for Mr. Snowden should he return to the United States. Mr. Snowden will not be tortured. Torture is unlawful in the United States," reads the letter.
The attorney general said that if Snowden returned to the U.S. he would be brought before a civilian court and would receive "all the protections that United States law provides."
Holder added: "we understand from press reports and prior conversations between our governments that Mr. Snowden believes that he is unable to travel out of Russia and must therefore take steps to legalize his status. That is not accurate; he is able to travel."
Despite the revocation of Snowden's passport on June 22, Snowden is still a U.S. citizen and is eligible for a limited validity passport good for direct return to the United States, said the attorney general, reports CBS News.
Earlier Friday, a spokesman for Russian President Vladimir Putin said Russia has not budged from its refusal to extradite Snowden. He applied for temporary asylum in Russia last week and is believed to have been staying at the Moscow airport transit zone for over a month.
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