MOSCOW, July 29 (HS/RIA Novosti) - Telegram founder Pavel Durov faces a lengthy prison term or a life sentence if found guilty on charges of aiding and abetting terrorist activities, lawyer Oleg Zernov told RIA Novosti on Wednesday.
For inducing, recruiting, or otherwise involving individuals in the commission of terrorist offenses, the punishment ranges from eight to 15 years in prison, up to life imprisonment, the lawyer said.
Earlier in the day, Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) said that Durov had been placed on an international wanted list. Durov is charged with a crime under Part 1.1 of Article 205.1 of the Russian Criminal Code that punishes facilitation of terrorism.
According to the FSB, Telegram’s administration failed to remove channels, chats and bots used by Ukrainian intelligence agencies to plot sabotage and terrorist attacks in Russia, mass murder and cyber fraud, which resulted in numerous casualties and billions in material damage.
Telegram is a messaging platform that allows users to exchange messages and multimedia files in multiple formats. It was founded in 2013 by Durov. Telegram has more than 1 billion monthly active users.
---------------
Hindusthan Samachar / Indrani Sarkar