He says it’s because he thinks he’s going to be assassinated by the U.S. government, and also because he doesn’t his computer taken away:
Mr. Snowden wore a cap and sunglasses and insisted that the assembled lawyers hide their cellphones in the refrigerator of the home where he was staying, to block any eavesdropping. Then began a two-hour conversation during which Mr. Snowden was deeply dismayed to learn that he could spend years in prison without access to a computer during litigation over whether he would be granted asylum here or surrendered to the United States.
Staying cooped up in the cramped Hong Kong home of a local supporter was less bothersome to Mr. Snowden than the prospect of losing his computer.
“He didn’t go out, he spent all his time inside a tiny space, but he said it was O.K. because he had his computer,” said Albert Ho, one of Mr. Snowden’s lawyers. “If you were to deprive him of his computer, that would be totally intolerable.”
This was reported back in late June. Funny what we forget. All of this hoopla because of his computer.