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Filipina who sheltered Snowden in Hongkong gets asylum in Canada

The Canadian government has granted asylum to Vanessa Rodel, the Filipina who helped former CIA employee and National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden to hide in Hong Kong after his leaks exposed surveillance programs of the United States.

For the Refugees, a non-profit refugee rights association said that Rodel and her seven-year-old daughter Keana were scheduled to arrive in Toronto on board a flight from Hong Kong on Monday.

The two will then travel to Montreal on Tuesday to settle among other refugees sponsored by the private-sector group.

The asylum program was kept secret for security reasons, the group added.

To recall, Rodel was among a group of individuals who provided shelter to Snowden, hiding him in her apartment while on the run from US authorities in 2013.

Snowden was responsible for leaking highly classified documents revealed the existence of global surveillance programs run by the NSA in cooperation with partners Australia, Britain and Canada.

The former CIA employee was charged with espionage and stealing state secrets. He is now living in Russia.

Photo credit: South China Morning Post via Getty Images

Staff Report

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