Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said Friday that his country has decided to grant asylum to NSA leaker Edward Snowden. Maduro said at a military parade in the Venezuelan capital celebrating the 202nd Independence Day that Venezuela’s decision of granting Snowden asylum was made after consulting opinions of many leaders of the region.  He objected plan of some countries to conquer this Latin American country to be their colony. The Venezuelan president added that the US government should first comply with Venezuela’s demand for the extradition of Luis Posada Carriles, who is wanted in Venezuela for the 1976 terrorist bombing of a Cuban passenger plane but the US has rejected the request.

In Nicaragua, President Daniel Ortega said the Nicaraguan government was willing to grant asylum to Snowden "if circumstances allow it." He said the Nicaraguan embassy in Moscow received Snowden's application for asylum.