A group of refugees who sheltered fugitive whistleblower Edward Snowden in Hong Kong are facing deportation after the city’s authorities rejected their bid for protection, their lawyer said on May 15. / AFP PHOTO / ANTHONY WALLACE (Photo credit should read ANTHONY WALLACE/AFP/Getty Images)
Details of how Snowden managed to lay low in the Asian metropolis had remained obscure until last year, when the asylum seekers’ role came to light in Oliver Stone’s movie Snowden, and the details were disclosed in Canada’s National Post. (Joseph Gordon-Levitt, who played Snowden in the movie, has appealed for help on the asylum seekers’ behalf.)
Three other adult applicants are from Sri Lanka. Two of the three children involved are stateless.
The group turned to Canada to seek asylum earlier this year, citing grave risks if their stay in Hong Kong was prolonged. At the time, two of the Sri Lankans reported of being pursued by police from Sri Lanka.
Hong Kong’s rejection of the group “puts them in an even more vulnerable position, and triggers a need for urgent protection,” says Marc-André Séguin, one of the Canadian attorneys representing the group in the country. “We’re confident that the Canadian government will come to the same conclusion.”
“Three weeks ago, we heard from Canadian authorities that the files have been transferred from Canada to the visa office of the Canadian consulate in Hong Kong,” Séguin added. TIME has reached out to the consulate for comments.
Article Appeared @http://time.com/4778711/edward-snowden-hong-kong-asylum-refugees/