What happens to NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden now?

The suddenly world-famous leaker is hiding in Hong Kong. That might not have been the smartest place to pick

Edward Snowden
(Image credit: The Guardian via Getty Images)

Since leaking NSA documents to The Guardian, Edward Snowden has been hiding out in a hotel in Hong Kong, a city he chose because it supposedly has "a spirited commitment to free speech and the right of political dissent."

Several critics have been quick to note that Hong Kong is not nearly as free as Snowden claims. Hong Kong — which China gained sovereignty over in 1997 — is, along with Macau, a "special administrative region" that has a fair amount of autonomy from mainland China. But Beijing still has plenty of power in Hong Kong, Evan Osnos pointed out in The New Yorker:

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Keith Wagstaff is a staff writer at TheWeek.com covering politics and current events. He has previously written for such publications as TIME, Details, VICE, and the Village Voice.