Asylum bid bound to fail

There was a flurry of excitement when it emerged Edward Snowden applied to Ireland for asylum, but it may not have been a wise move, says Noel Baker.

IF Edward Snowden ever pitched up at Dublin Airport on the F7888 direct flight from Moscow to Dublin on a Saturday, he might have more than one reason to regret his choice.

Firstly, while landing on Irish soil would finally allow any asylum application process to begin, Section 25 of the Refugee Act 1996 might bring a halt to his gallop: “Nothing in this Act shall be construed as preventing the extradition of a person in accordance with the provisions of the Extradition Acts, 1965 to 1994.”