Telegram CEO Blasts France’s “Strange Arrest” as “Logically Absurd”
(MENAFN) Telegram founder Pavel Durov on Sunday publicly denounced what he called a “strange arrest” by French authorities in August 2024, accusing them of damaging France’s global image and flouting legal norms.
In a post on his Telegram channel, Durov revealed he had been detained for four days last year after unknown actors allegedly used the messaging platform to coordinate illicit activity. He criticized the decision to hold him personally accountable, writing: “Arresting a CEO of a major platform over the actions of its users was not only unprecedented — it was legally and logically absurd.”
Durov claimed investigators bypassed standard national and EU protocols for submitting platform-related legal requests. “They could have learned the correct procedure simply by googling it or asking,” he added.
The ongoing legal battle, he said, has left him tethered to the French judicial system without resolution. “One year after this strange arrest, I still have to return to France every 14 days, with no appeal date in sight,” Durov stated.
He also expressed frustration over the lack of progress in the case: “So far, the only outcome of my arrest has been massive damage to France’s image as a free country.”
The billionaire tech entrepreneur defended Telegram’s operational standards, asserting that the platform complies with legally binding requests and adheres to industry-standard moderation practices. According to Durov, authorities have yet to provide any evidence implicating him or his company in criminal wrongdoing.
French prosecutors announced last year that Durov was under formal investigation for allegedly facilitating illegal transactions through Telegram. He was apprehended at Paris' Le Bourget Airport on multiple charges, including complicity in operating a digital platform used by criminal networks.
Telegram, which has over 900 million users globally, has long faced scrutiny from governments over its strong encryption and relatively hands-off moderation policies.
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