Russian FSB Charges Telegram Founder Pavel Durov with Terrorism Facilitation
Russian security services have charged Telegram founder Pavel Durov with facilitating terrorism after the platform refused to remove channels and bots linked by the FSB to extremist activities.
Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) has formally charged Telegram founder Pavel Durov under Part 1.1 of Article 205.1 of the Criminal Code, which covers facilitation of terrorist activities. The charge carries a potential sentence of 8 to 15 years in prison, or life imprisonment.
The charges were brought after Telegram's administration declined to delete a number of channels and bots that the FSB says are connected to terrorist or extremist activities. No further details on the specific content or groups were immediately available.
The move marks a sharp escalation in the long-running tension between Russian authorities and the messaging platform, which has previously resisted demands to hand over encryption keys and moderate content.
Source: ForkLog