French prosecutors on Wednesday (Aug. 28) released Telegram CEO Pavel Durov from police custody after four days of questioning on allegations the platform was used for illegal activities.
Durov was detained last Saturday at Le Bourget airport outside Paris, as part of a judicial investigation started last month that includes 12 alleged criminal offences.
“An investigating judge has ended Pavel Durov’s detention and will bring him to court for a first appearance and possible charges,” a statement from the Paris prosecutor’s office said.
Other allegations involving Durov, a French citizen, include that his platform was used for child sexual abuse material and drug trafficking, fraud and abetting organized crime transactions, and that Telegram refused to share information or documents with investigators when required by law.
His arrest in France has sparked outrage in Russia, with some Russian government officials calling the arrest politically motivated and evidence of the West’s double standards on free speech. The criticism has raised eyebrows among Kremlin critics, who said Russian authorities unsuccessfully tried to block Telegram in 2018 and reversed the ban in 2020.
In Iran, where Telegram is widely used despite being officially banned after years of protests against the country’s Shiite theocracy, Durov’s arrest in France prompted the Islamic Republic’s supreme leader to comment. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei responded with thinly veiled praise for France for being “firm” against those who “violate the governance” of the internet.
French President Emmanuel Macron said Monday that Durov's arrest was not a political move but part of an independent investigation.
Macron wrote in X that his country was “deeply committed” to freedom of expression but that “this freedom must be upheld within a legal framework, both on social media and in real life, to protect citizens and respect their fundamental rights.”
In a statement posted on its platform after Durov’s arrest, Telegram said it complies with European Union law, and its self-controls are “industry standards and are constantly being improved.”
“It is absurd to claim that a platform or its owners are responsible for the misuse of that platform,” Telegram said. “Almost a billion users globally use Telegram as a means of communication and as a source of important information. We look forward to a speedy resolution of this situation. Telegram is with you all.”
Durov is a citizen of Russia, France, the United Arab Emirates and the Caribbean nation of St. Kitts and Nevis.
The UAE Foreign Ministry said Tuesday that it was “closely following the case” and had asked France to provide Durov with “all necessary consular services under urgent circumstances.”
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said he hoped Durov “has all the opportunities for his legal defense” and added that Moscow was “ready to provide all necessary assistance and support” to the Telegram CEO as a Russian citizen.
“But the situation is complicated by the fact that he is also a French citizen,” Peskov said.
Telegram, which says it has nearly a billion users worldwide, was founded by Durov and his brother after he himself faced pressure from Russian authorities.
In 2013, he sold his stake in VKontakte, the popular Russian social networking site he launched in 2005.
The company came under pressure during a Russian government crackdown following massive pro-democracy protests that rocked Moscow in late 2011 and 2013. (uh/ab)
