According to WikiLeaks Founder Julian Assange, Sarah Harrison is a UK native and member of the WikiLeaks Legal Defense Team. According to accounts, she’s the mastermind behind Snowden’s departure from Hong Kong and for all practical purposes, his travel planner.
CORRECTION. According to Lana Lam of The South China Morning Post, it was Albert Ho Chun-yan and Jonathan Man, an associate at his Hong Kong law firm Ho, Tse, Wai & Partners, who engineered Snowden’s way of leaving Hong Kong for Moscow. Man went to the airport with Snowden in case he was arrested. Sarah Harrison does not have a legal background.
But before we continue, it’s important to know that Edward Snowden’s traveling as a fugitive, and here’s why: the USA has charged him with several counts of espionage:
And Sarah’s presence also explains why there were not one, but two seats, 17 B and 17 C, that were empty for the flight from Moscow to Cuba. Snowden didn’t need two seats, one of them was for Sarah Harrison.
I can’t help but wonder what Lindsey Mills, Snowden’s girlfriend of four years, will think when she gets wind of this? She’ll certainly wonder who met whom in Hong Kong, where all of this started.
In a media call today, Mr. Assange said, as reported by Karla Adam of The Washington Post UK bureau, that…
#JulianAssange on media call says #snowden is en route to Ecuador via Russia and other states. #Snowden and Harrison are ‘healthy and safe’
— Karla Adam (@karlaadam) June 24, 2013
Assange also said that Snowden submitted asylum to Ecuador and possibly other countries, but he could not give details on his location. Assange said that Edward Snowden “is in a safe place and his spirits are high.”
#Assange says Snowden submitted asylum to Ecuador and possibly other countries. 'I cannot give further info on their whereabouts'
— Karla Adam (@karlaadam) June 24, 2013
#Assange: We’re aware of where #Snowden is; he is in a safe place and his spirits are high;
— Karla Adam (@karlaadam) June 24, 2013
I have to wonder if Sarah Harrison’s helping to keep his spirits high?
Meanwhile, back to Harrison.
This is a copy of the WikiLeaks description of her:
Sarah Harrison is a UK citizen, journalist, and legal researcher who is currently working with the WikiLeaks Legal Defense team led by former Spanish Judge Baltasar Garzon.
Miss Harrison has worked on important investigative projects that have uncovered serious human rights violations and aspects of the global surveillance industry in her capacity as a journalist and section editor for WikiLeaks, and as an investigative researcher for The Bureau of Investigative Journalism and the Centre for Investigative Journalism.
Miss Harrison is seen here in video launching WikiLeaks’ Syria Files at the Frontline Club in London, on 5 July 2012:
Miss Harrison has courageously assisted Mr. Snowden with his lawful departure from Hong Kong and is accompanying Mr. Snowden in his passage to safety.
Miss Sarah Harrison Miss Sarah Harrison
Note: Pictures by Sunshine Press Productions under a Creative Commons Attribution License Version 3.0 Unported. Please feel free to use under the terms of the license.
Stay tuned.
Bill Carroll