France Issues Preliminary Charges And 5M Euros Against Telegram CEO (Instagram image @Durov)
The French judiciary charged Pavel Durov, the head of Telegram, allowing alleged criminal activities on the messaging app. He was barred from leaving France during the investigation. The investigative judges also asked him to pay 5 million euros bail and to report to a police station twice a week. He was released after four days of questioning.
The allegations against the Russian-born multi billionaire, who has a French-citizenship, also include complicity in the spread of sexual images of children and a litany of other alleged violations on the messaging app.
Durov was detained at the Le Bourget airport, outside Paris, on suspicion of failing to act against illicit content on the service including the exchange of child sexual imagery, drug trafficking and fraud. The allegation also include that Telegram refused to share information or documents with the investigators when required by the law.
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Durov’s arrest cause outrage and debate over free speech and government censorship. Officials calling it politically motivated and a clear proof of West’s double standard on freedom of speech.
France’s President, Emmanuel Macron denied the politically motivated claim. Taking to his X account, Macron said that his country “is deeply committed” to freedom of expression but “freedoms are upheld within a legal framework, both on social media and in real life, to protect citizens and respect their fundamental rights”.
According to Wall Street Journal report, in 2018, Macron suggested that Durov should move Telegram’s headquarters to Paris, which Durov reportedly refused.
Kremlin critics watched the outcry with raised eyebrows, as the Russian authorities itself tried to block Telegram in 2018, but failed withdrawing the ban in 2020.
According to the Specialist French cybercrime, and fraud detectives, Durov’s arrest was part of a wide-ranging investigation into a failure to moderate alleged criminal activity on the messaging app.
Also Read: Why Telegram’s Durov Was Arrested While Zuckerberg Remains Free: Elon Musk
In a statement released, Telegram said it abided by European Union laws and added that its moderation was “within industry standards and constantly improving”.
“Telegram’s CEO, Pavel Durov, has nothing to hide and travels frequently in Europe. It is absurd to claim that a platform, or its owner, are responsible for abuse of that platform”, read the statement.
Apart from Russia, and France, Durov is also a citizen of United Arab Emirates, and the Caribbean island nation of St. Kitts and Nevis.
After the arrest, UAE Foreign Ministry said that it was “closely following the case” and had asked France to provide Durov “with all the necessary consular services in an urgent manner”.
Also Read: Who Is Pavel Durov, The Man Who Was Arrested At French Airport?
Dmitry Peskov, the spokesperson of Kremlin, said that he hoped that Durov “has all the necessary opportunities for his legal defense” and added that Moscow stands “ready to provide all necessary assistance and support”. “But the situation is complicated by the fact that he is also a citizen of France”, he added.
Durov founded Telegram in 2013, along with his brother Nikolai, after facing pressure from the Russian authorities. He sold his stake in VKontakte, a popular Russian social networking platform that he launched in 2006, after it came under pressure during the Russian government’s crackdown following mass pro-democracy protests that rocked Moscow at the end of 2011 and 2012. He left Russia in 2014.
Durov said that the authorities demanded that the site take down online communities of Russian opposition activists, and later that it hand over personal data of users who took part in the 2013-2014 popular uprising in Ukraine, which eventually ousted a pro-Kremlin president.
