US tells Russia Snowden would not be executed or tortured if extradited home

The United States Attorney General has told Russia that NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden will not be executed or tortured if he is extradited home from Russia, even as the former US spy agency contractor faces charges of illegally disclosing government secrets.

According to The Independent, US Attorney General Eric Holder wrote in a letter that although Snowden had filed papers seeking temporary asylum in Russia based on the grounds that if he were to return to the United States, he would be tortured and face death penalty, these claims were entirely without merit.

The whistleblower has been stuck in the transit area of a Moscow airport for more than a month despite Washington's calls to hand him over and Russia is still considering his temporary asylum request, the report said.

Putin, a former KGB spy, has said Snowden could only be granted sanctuary in Russia if he stopped actions that could harm the United States, the report added.