Latin America: A popular refuge

Edward Snowden is just one of many who have sought shelter in Latin America to avoid the reach of authorities back home. A few prominent examples:

Assata Shakur: Born Joanne Chesimard, she has been living in Cuba since at least 1984. Shakur, the aunt of slain US rapper Tupac Shakur, was a member of the Black Liberation Army and wanted for arrest on several felonies when police stopped her in 1973. A state trooper was killed in the ensuing gunfight. Serving life in prison, Shakur was freed by armed friends who took hostages, and she surfaced in Cuba four years later. In May, the FBI named Shakur the first woman on its list of most wanted terrorists.

Ronald Biggs: The "Great Train Robber" of Britain took part in the 1963 heist of a mail train that netted the equivalent of $65 million in today's currency. Biggs escaped prison in 1965 and fled to Rio de Janeiro.

Julian Assange: The 41-year-old WikiLeaks founder is technically on Ecuadorean soil at the country's embassy in London to avoid extradition to Sweden to face questioning over sex crime allegations. The Australian claims the sex case is part of a Washington-orchestrated plot to make him stand trial in the US.

- AP

(China Daily 06/25/2013 page12)