The Russia connectionActivists cry foul as Russian court orders Telegram app blocked
A Moscow court has issued an order to block access to Telegram, ruling in favor of the state and against the defiant self-exiled Russian entrepreneur who created the popular messaging app. The 13 April ruling was expected, but is certain to deepen concerns that the government is seeking to close avenues for dissent as President Vladimir Putin heads into a new six-year term. Amnesty International warned that blocking Telegram would be “the latest in a series of attacks on online freedom of expression” in Russia.
The 13 April ruling was expected, but is certain to deepen concerns that the government is seeking to close avenues for dissent as President Vladimir Putin heads into a new six-year term.
It came a day after a warning from Amnesty International that blocking Telegram, which is used by senior government officials and ardent Kremlin foes, would be “the latest in a series of attacks on online freedom of expression” in Russia.
The decision followed a months-long standoff between Telegram and the Federal Security Service (FSB), which demanded access to its users’ messages. Telegram co-founder and CEO Pavel Durov refused, saying the request was unconstitutional.
“Privacy is not for sale, and human rights should not be compromised out of fear or greed,” Durov, who left Russia in 2014, said on Telegram after the ruling.
Durov had ordered Telegram’s lawyers not to attend the Taganka district court hearing, calling it “a farce,” and Judge Yulia Smolina issued the ruling less than 20 minutes after opening the session.
Smolina said that Telegram should be blocked immediately despite rules under which Russian court decisions normally come into effect after appeals are exhausted.
Pavel Chikov, a prominent human rights activist and lawyer who represents Telegram, said the ruling was unlawful and unfounded.
“The court has openly [acted] against the public interest,” Chikov wrote on the app, adding that the company will remain defiant.
That means it will continue to refuse to provide the FSB with encryption keys that would give it access to messages exchanged on the app.
In a post on the social network VKontakte after the ruling, Durov said that Telegram will use built-in systems to get around the ban.
However, he said he cannot guarantee that Telegram users will retain access without using virtual private networks (VPNs).
