
(Scypre.com) – Pavel Durov, the founder and CEO of the messaging service Telegram, was detained at Paris-Le Bourget Airport on Saturday evening upon arrival from Azerbaijan. French authorities arrested Durov, who holds dual citizenship in France and Russia, under an international arrest warrant. The warrant, reportedly issued by France at the request of a special unit within the Ministry of the Interior, links Telegram to serious crimes including money laundering, drug trafficking, and the online sexual exploitation of minors.
The investigation is being conducted by the National Anti-Fraud Office under the French customs department, which informed Durov of his police custody status. French media outlets reported that the warrant pertains to crimes against minors, including the possession and distribution of child sexual abuse content and grooming. French prosecutors have refrained from commenting on the arrest due to the ongoing investigation.
Telegram, founded by Durov and his brother in response to the Russian government’s crackdown on digital communications following mass pro-democracy protests in 2011 and 2012, has long been a platform for pro-privacy communication. Despite attempts by Russian authorities to block the app in 2018 due to its refusal to hand over encryption keys, Telegram continued to operate and even saw the ban lifted two years later. The platform remains a vital communication tool in Russia and Ukraine, where it is used to share news and deliver emergency alerts.
In response to the arrest, Telegram released a statement asserting that the company adheres to European Union laws, including the Digital Services Act, and that its moderation practices meet industry standards. The company defended Durov, stating, “It is absurd to claim that a platform or its owner are responsible for abuse of that platform.” Telegram also emphasized that Durov, who frequently travels in Europe, “has nothing to hide” and expressed confidence in a swift resolution of the situation.
Western governments have frequently criticized Telegram for its perceived lack of content moderation, which they argue makes the platform vulnerable to misuse by criminals. Experts, such as Stanford University researcher David Thiel, have pointed out that Telegram is “less secure (and) more lax in terms of policy and detection of illegal content” compared to other messaging services like WhatsApp, which submitted over 1.3 million CyberTipline reports in 2023, while Telegram reportedly submitted none.
In addition to this arrest, Telegram has faced legal challenges in other countries. Germany fined Telegram operators 5.125 million euros ($5 million) in 2022 for failing to comply with national regulations requiring a lawful way to report illegal content and an entity to receive official communication in Germany. Brazil also temporarily suspended Telegram last year for not providing data on neo-Nazi activity during a police inquiry into school shootings.
In a show of support, Elon Musk, owner of the social media platform X, posted “#freePavel” following Durov’s arrest. Meanwhile, Russian officials, including Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, criticized the arrest and accused the West of double standards on freedom of speech. Zakharova highlighted that several NGOs had condemned Russia’s previous attempt to block Telegram in 2018, questioning whether these organizations would now demand Durov’s release from French custody.
Russian Embassy officials in Paris have requested access to Durov, but French authorities consider his French citizenship as his primary one. Telegram reiterated in a statement earlier this month that it actively combats misuse of its platform, employing a combination of proactive monitoring and user reports to remove millions of pieces of harmful content daily.