Paris, 27 August 2024 (TDI): The allegations against Telegram creator Pavel Durov, who was detained in Paris the day before in a first for a messaging service globally, were made public by the official prosecutor in Paris on Monday.
The CEO of Telegram, who is also the founder, is charged with 12 crimes, including spreading pedophilic content, glorifying terrorism, and neglecting to take action against users who engage in cyberbullying, according to Paris Public Prosecutor Laure Beccuau.
According to Beccuau, Durov may now be held for up to 96 hours until August 28. He will be prosecuted under the criminal procedure for offenses related to organized crime, such as purchasing or offering to purchase pornographic images of minors, possessing such images, and engaging in unlawful transactions within an organized group.
“It is part of a judicial investigation that was initiated on July 8, 2024,” Beccuau stated on the arrest.
The Paris prosecutor noted that it also involves “The unwillingness to provide information or documents required for conducting and managing legally permitted interceptions, upon request from competent authorities.”
The case currently being worked on by the Russian Embassy in Paris, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Maria Zakharova announced on Sunday. She also noted that it is the responsibility of Russian diplomats to address situations involving the imprisonment of Russian nationals overseas.
On its X account, the Telegram group responded to the arrest by stating that the business “abides by European Union (EU) laws, including the Digital Services Act.”
⚖️ Telegram abides by EU laws, including the Digital Services Act — its moderation is 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…
— Telegram Messenger (@telegram) August 25, 2024
Together with Edward Snowden, a former contractor for the US National Security Agency, tech mogul Elon Musk, the owner of the US social media platform X, denounced this arrest on Sunday, citing it as a violation of free speech.
After Musk posted a tweet on X with the hashtag #FreePavel, he continued to emphasize the value of defending democracy and free speech in multiple more posts.
Telegram post by Ramzan Kadyrov, head of Chechen Republic! pic.twitter.com/UyByR9kywq
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 15, 2022
Concurrently, Snowden said on X that Durov’s detention was a violation of his fundamental rights to free expression and association.
And this is where we start getting to my core concerns. @Telegram has for years faced criticisms about the basic structure of its security by prominent cryptographers and technologists. Many defenses rely upon unbroken trust in a central authority (the company). "Trust us."
— Edward Snowden (@Snowden) December 30, 2017
The arrest of Durov, according to French President Macron, is “part of an ongoing judicial investigation,” saying that it is “in no way a political decision” on X on Monday.
I have seen false information regarding France following the arrest of Pavel Durov.
France is deeply committed to freedom of expression and communication, to innovation, and to the spirit of entrepreneurship. It will remain so.
In a state governed by the rule of law,…
— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) August 26, 2024
In a statement, the president of France emphasized how “deeply” his nation values freedom of speech.
Also read: Telegram Messaging App CEO Arrested in France
A special section inside the French Interior Minister charged with fighting crimes against kids, working in tandem with other investigative services, issued Durov’s arrest warrant, according to the daily Le Figaro in France.
In 2013, Durov—who is also a French national—founded Telegram. The messaging app states it doesn’t gather user data or filter content, and it supports up to 200,000 individuals per chat group.
Now one of the most popular messaging services worldwide with about 900 million users, it has significant clout in Russia as well. Through the Russia-Ukraine crisis, it has emerged as a vital information source.
