Russia grants Edward Snowden permanent residency rights -- lawyer

Russia grants US whistleblower Edward Snowden permanent residency rights after several years of asylum there, according to media reports citing his lawyer, Anatoly Kucherena.

Edward Snowden, a former contract employee at the US National Security Agency. (AP/The Guardian/File)

Kucherena tells the TASS news agency that Snowden is not yet weighing the option of applying for full Russian citizenship, according to the Reuters news agency.

Snowden is a former US intelligence contractor who revealed in 2013 that the US government was spying on its citizens. He has since been living in exile in Russia and has said he would like to return to the United States — but only on the condition that he receive a fair trial.

US President Donald Trump said in August that he would “take a look” at pardoning Snowden.