Telegram CEO Pavel Durov Has 'Nothing to Hide' After Arrest in France
Messaging app company Telegram posted an official statement on its official channel on Sunday saying that its chief executive officer and owner Pavel Durov has 'nothing to hide' and calling his arrest in France on Saturday 'absurd....
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Facts
- Messaging app company Telegram posted an official statement on its official channel on Sunday saying that its chief executive officer and owner Pavel Durov has 'nothing to hide' and calling his arrest in France on Saturday 'absurd.[1][2]
- French Pres. Emmanuel Macron confirmed on Monday that Durov had been detained upon his arrival in France but dismissed rumors of a political reason behind the arrest, following criticism from both the Kremlin and free speech advocates.[3][4][5]
- French prosecutors later disclosed that he was arrested in connection with an investigation opened last month into criminal activity on the platform, including drug sales and child pornography, and a refusal to cooperate with law enforcement. The European Commission said this has nothing to do with its Digital Services Act (DSA).[6][7]
- These developments come as judicial authorities in France extended the initial detention period of Durov beyond Sunday night. Under French law, this phase can last up to a maximum of 96 hours, or four days. Then, a judge must either free the detainee or file charges and keep him in custody.[8][9]
- The Dubai-based billionaire who founded the app that has more than 900M users and left his native Russia a decade ago also holds citizenship in France and the United Arab Emirates. Unverified rumors claim he was in Azerbaijan to lobby Vladimir Putin not to block Telegram in Russia.[10][11][12]
- Meanwhile, the chief executive officer of the self-styled pro-free speech video hosting platform Rumble, Chris Pavlovski, announced in a post on X on Sunday that he had left Europe following the arrest of Durov.[13][14]
Sources: [1]Verge, [2]Daily Mail, [3]Reuters, [4]The Telegraph, [5]FOX News, [6]New York Times, [7]Euronews, [8]Guardian, [9]POLITICO, [10]France 24, [11]Al Jazeera, [12]BBC News, [13]RT and [14]Newsmax.
Narratives
- Narrative A, as provided by Spectator (UK). Now that Durov is in custody, one can only ask what exactly French authorities hope to achieve with that move. It's unlikely that they really believe that the owner of Telegram is responsible for the existence of pedophiles, drug dealers, terrorists, and other criminals, so whatever they say it's clear that his arrest is an attack on free speech and its advocates.
- Narrative B, as provided by Le Monde.fr. It should be enough of a red flag that Russia and the far-right have joined forces to echo the argument that the arrest of Durov is an attack on free speech. Actually, the investigation is focused on standard crimes committed on his private platform and he has been detained for questioning. Durov is presumed innocent and will be able to defend himself if indicted.
