National security laws

Snowden lambasts Russian spy laws

Edward Snowden has criticised a repressive new surveillance law in Russia, potentially risking the ire of the Kremlin and jeopardising his asylum status in the country.

The former US intelligence officer, who fled abroad after exposing how the United States spied on its own citizens, spoke out via social media.

“Russia’s new Big Brother law is an unworkable, unjustifiable violation of rights that should never be signed,” he wrote on Twitter.

Mr Snowden was reacting to the Duma passing a package of legislation on Friday that will oblige telecommunication companies and internet service providers to keep records of customers’ conversations…