It is sad that this is pretty much expected from this government the same way the ones among us who grew up in Pinochet's Chile or any other dictatorship could predict from their own government.
"Mr. Snowden's claim that he is focused on supporting transparency, freedom of the press and protection of individual rights and democracy is belied by the protectors he has potentially chosen - China, Russia, Ecuador, as we've seen [...] His failures to criticize these regimes suggests that his true motive throughout has been to injure the national security of the United States, not to advance Internet freedom and free speech."
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/06/24/us-usa-security-ob...
This one is particularly egregious because it can be turned right back around on the US government which also claims to support transparency, freedom of the press and protection of individual rights and yet it also consorts with despots and dictators.
It's kind of like seedless watermelon - if you want rich, succulent aka "good" watermelon you have to put up with the occasional seed. If you want a guarantee of no seeds then you have to accept a watermelon that doesn't taste anywhere near as "good" - maybe it is passable but it certainly isn't good.
That's not to say that democracy can't be perverted, just that it can't be perfect.
Hilarious, not the least because the White House itself is usually very timid about criticizing China or Russia. Also, what do they expect him to do, step out of the airplane in Moscow and shout "I hate Putin"?