Lawyer Cautions Against Telegram Payments Amid Extremist Label Risk
A Russian lawyer advises users to stop paying for Telegram services after the potential designation as an extremist organization, though past transactions are unlikely to be punished.
Danila Sadovsky, a lawyer at BBNP, stated that previous payments and usage of Telegram would not be penalized if the messenger were classified as extremist. However, he warned that future transactions could theoretically be framed as financing extremism.
"Such payments could be attempted to be framed as financing extremism. Although this crime requires direct intent — an awareness that you are financing extremist activity, which a regular subscription purchase lacks — I would advise refraining from such payments in the current situation," Sadovsky told ForkLog.
He also assessed the probability of extraditing Telegram founder Pavel Durov to Russia as extremely low.
Source: ForkLog