Telegram Co-Founder Pavel Durov May Face Extradition to Russia Under Certain Conditions

MOSCOW, July 29. /TASS/. The co-founder of the Telegram messenger, Pavel Durov, may be extradited to Russia if he is detained in a country with which a corresponding treaty has been concluded, lawyer Alexey Sinitsyn, a member of the Commission on New Technologies and Legal Support for the Digitalization of Society of the Association of Lawyers of Russia, told TASS.

"The probability of the extradition of Telegram co-founder Pavel Durov and other persons administering the messenger will depend on the jurisdiction of the state in which they are located. If a corresponding international extradition treaty has been signed between Russia and the state where Pavel Durov is located, then such a probability will be higher," he said, adding that Russia is a country with about 100 bilateral agreements.

The lawyer also explained that an obligatory condition for extradition is the principle of "dual criminality," meaning that the acts imputed must be recognized as criminal not only in the country requesting the extradition but also in the country that is to extradite. Extradition may be refused if the person requests political asylum and it is granted.

"At the same time, it must be understood that if a state does not want to extradite Pavel Durov, it will find legal grounds not to do so, even in the presence of mutual legal obligations. In this situation, not only the presence of legal grounds will matter, but also the existing diplomatic relations on the international stage. In any case, official charges of terrorism and the announcement of an international wanted notice will create certain inconveniences both for Pavel Durov personally and for the implementation of the digital services of Telegram Messenger LLP as a whole," Sinitsyn believes.

Telegram co-founder Pavel Durov has been charged in Russia with aiding terrorist activities, and the procedure for putting him on the international wanted list has been initiated.