Human rights lawyer Robert Tibbo represented former N.S.A. contractor-turned-whistleblower Edward Snowden when he fled the United States to Hong Kong in 2013. Less publicized has been Tibbo’s work representing several families from the Hong Kong refugee community that welcomed Snowden into their homes – where he avoided unwanted attention.
Threatpost caught up with Tibbo last week in Leipzig, Germany where he spoke at the Chaos Communication Congress about the so-called “Snowden Refugees.”
In part one of Threatpost’s two-part interview, Tibbo introduces us to the “Snowden refugees” and Vanessa Rodel, one of the Hong Kong asylum seekers who sheltered Snowden. Tibbo discusses the police harassment and intimidation of Rodel and other “Snowden refugees,” sparked by the 2016 release of Oliver Stone’s movie Snowden.
In part two of the podcast, Tibbo discusses how he himself has been harassed and driven out of Hong Kong by authorities. He also discusses efforts made on the behalf of the “Snowden refugees” to the Canadian government to grant refugee status to the “Snowden refugees.”
[Snowden’s Attorney Urges Canada to Take in Whistleblower Helpers (Part Two)]
Stay tuned for part two of the podcast next week.
(Feature Image Credit: Kirk Kenny / studiozag.com)
