Telegram founder criticizes France for his “strange arrest”
(MENAFN) Telegram founder Pavel Durov has sharply criticized French authorities for what he called a “strange arrest” last year, arguing that the ongoing investigation has harmed France’s reputation as a free nation.
Durov said he was held by French police for four days in August 2024 after unidentified individuals allegedly used Telegram to coordinate criminal activity. “Arresting a CEO of a major platform over the actions of its users was not only unprecedented — it was legally and logically absurd,” he wrote on his Telegram account.
He accused French officials of ignoring standard national and EU procedures for submitting requests to the platform prior to his detention. “They could have learned the correct procedure simply by googling it or asking,” Durov added. “So far, the only outcome of my arrest has been massive damage to France’s image as a free country.”
Durov stressed that Telegram’s moderation policies meet industry norms and that the platform complies with legally binding requests. He also noted that authorities have yet to present any evidence of misconduct by him or his company. “One year after this strange arrest, I still have to return to France every 14 days, with no appeal date in sight,” he said.
French prosecutors revealed in 2024 that Durov was under investigation for allegedly enabling illegal activity through Telegram, which counts over 900 million users globally. He was detained at Paris’ Le Bourget airport on multiple charges, including complicity in operating a network platform to facilitate illicit transactions as part of a criminal organization.
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