Fugitive whistleblower Edward Snowden has said he cannot return to his home country, as he believes he would have “no chance of a fair trial” there.

“Returning to the US, I think, is the best resolution for the government, the public and myself, but it’s unfortunately not possible in the face of current whistleblower protection laws, which through a failure in law did not cover national security contractors like myself,” Snowden said in a live web chat, as cited by RIA Novosti.

The former NSA employee received temporary asylum in Russia in August 2014.

He has been charged under the US Espionage Act after leaking information about extensive electronic surveillance programs conducted by the US government around the globe.

Under current US laws on whistleblowers, Snowden said, he does not believe he would be able to defend himself against the charges.

“This is especially frustrating, because it means there’s no chance to have a fair trial, and no way I can come home and make my case to a jury,” he said.