Snowden Lawyer Says Obama Speech Confirms Client's Position

Former NSA contractor Edward Snowden

The Russian lawyer for former U.S. National Security Agency (NSA) contractor Edward Snowden has said U.S. President Barack Obama's decision to reform the spy agency constitutes "recognition of the fact that American special services have intruded virtually unlimitedly in citizens' private lives."

Anatoly Kucherena, a Kremlin-connected lawyer who is also a member of the Russian Public Chamber, said on January 18 that Obama's decision is "a reaction to the people's concerns and outrage about interference in their private lives."

Obama on January 17 announced broad reforms to the U.S. program of collecting and storing data gathered by electronic surveillance.

Obama said the United States will limit its monitoring of the communications of "close friends and allies" abroad and that the NSA "is not spying on ordinary people who don't threaten our national security."

Based on reporting by Interfax and ITAR-TASS