Russia fines Twitter US$117,000 for not deleting protest posts

A crowd shine their cellphone flashlights during a protest against the jailing of opposition leader Alexei Navalny in Moscow, Russia. — AP

Russia issued three fines to Twitter Inc. totalling 8.9mil rubles (about US$117,000 or RM485,023) for what authorities said was a refusal to remove content that encouraged minors to join unauthorised protests, stepping up pressure on the US social media company.

Twitter has 60 days to pay, the Interfax news service reported from a Moscow court that levied the penalties on Friday.