Snowden says US officials preventing his asylum

Former intelligence agency contractor Edward Snowden said U.S. officials have been waging a campaign to prevent him from taking up offers of asylum, he said in a letter sent to a Human Rights Watch official and posted on Facebook. In the letter, he said he had invited human rights groups to meet on Friday at Sheremetyevo Aiport, where he has been in limbo since he flew to Moscow on June 23, to discuss "next steps forward in my situation". In a separate email to Reuters, Snowden confirmed that the meeting with human rights groups would go ahead but said it would be closed to the press. He said he planned to speak to the media later.