Russia to reply to U.S. letter on Snowden

Russia is preparing a reply to the U.S. Attorney General's letter over the return of fugitive intelligence whistleblower Edward Snowden, the Justice Ministry's press service said Sunday.

Noting the ministry received the letter from Eric Holder "on July 24," it stopped short of specifying the nature of the reply and the exact date it would be ready.

Holder assured to his Russian counterpart Alexander Konovalov that "the United States would not seek the death penalty even if Mr. Snowden were charged with additional, death penalty-eligible crimes."

His letter came amid media reports that Snowden had applied for political asylum in Russia "on the grounds that if he were returned to the United States, he would be tortured and would face the death penalty."

The top U.S. lawyer said these claims were "entirely without merit ... Torture is unlawful in the United States."

He added that Snowden was able to travel though his passport had been revoked. "He is eligible for a limited validity passport good for direct return to the United States."

The 30-year-old former CIA contractor arrived at Moscow's Sheremetyevo international airport on June 23 and has reportedly been stranded in the transit zone to date. He faces espionage charges as he disclosed a classified intelligence surveillance project code-named PRISM.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Friday Russia would not hand Snowden over to America.