Whistleblowing

First of the ‘Snowden refugees’ has been granted asylum in Canada

One of the asylum seekers who sheltered Edward Snowden in Hong Kong landed in Toronto on Monday, becoming the first of the “Snowden refugees” to find safe haven and the latest high-profile refugee to be welcomed to Canada.

Vanessa Rodel, an asylum seeker from the Philippines, and her 7-year-old daughter landed at Toronto’s Pearson International Airport on Monday evening. On Tuesday, they will make their way to Montreal, where a refu­gee organization has raised funds for their resettlement. 

“I can’t believe I am in Canada right now, in Toronto,” Rodel said after her plane touched down. “I am so happy that I am safe and free.”

For Rodel, landing in Canada marks the start of a new chapter in a saga that began when she fled sexual violence in the Philippines in 2002 and sought asylum in Hong Kong. Her journey took a twist in 2013, when her lawyer asked if she might shelter an American in distress — and that American turned out to be Snowden.