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"Edward Snowden's lawyer says the NSA whistleblower has been granted permission to stay in Russia for three more years.\nSnowden last year was granted temporary asylum of one year in Russia, but that had run out on Aug. 1.\nSee also: The 10 Biggest Revelations From Edward Snowden's Leaks\nHis lawyer, Analtoly Kucherena, was quoted by Russian news agencies on Thursday as saying Snowden now has been granted residency for three more years.\nFormerly a CIA system administrator, Snowden was charged with espionage in June 2013 after releasing several classified NSA documents to the public. He flew to Moscow later that month, seeking asylum from numerous countries, and Russia finally granted it to him.\nSnowden has recently made several appearances via satellite video and one in-person interview with Brian Williams. In those interviews, Snowden, whom supporters laud as a whistleblower and skeptics call a traitor, has repeatedly said that he regrets nothing and that he did what he did for his country.\nSnowden's leaks resulted in the unearthing of the NSA's global surveillance programs, most notably Internet data mining program PRISM. \nThe former NSA contractor has said he would like to return to the U.S. if given amnesty, which President Barack Obama hasn't granted. However, Russia's extension on Thursday means Snowden can remain in another country until Obama's second term is over and a new president is in office. \nRussia's decision to grant Snowden asylum last year put even more strain on the already tense relationship between President Barack Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Last year, Putin said Russia wasn't protecting Snowden but had no legal basis to extradite him. \nBut as Russia continues to further isolate itself from the U.S. \u2014 Obama has ordered several rounds of sanctions against Putin for Russia's hand in the Ukraine crisis \u2014 this latest move will only distance it more. \nSome information in this report provided by the Associated Press.\nHave something to add to this story? Share it in the comments."^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://mashable.com/2014/08/07/snowden-3-more-years-russia/>