His arrest is "almost inevitable": what is new about the detention of Telegram founder Pavel Durov in France
Telegram founder Pavel Durov was detained at Paris Le Bourget Airport. This happened on the initiative of the French Air Transport Gendarmerie, as his name was on the list of wanted persons in France.
This was reported by French TV channels TF1 and BFMTV, citing their own sources.
The 39-year-old businessman arrived in Paris on a private jet from Azerbaijan. He was accompanied by a bodyguard and a woman whose name has not yet been disclosed by journalists.
The French judicial police issued a warrant for his detention as part of a "preliminary investigation," the details of which have not yet been disclosed.
According to TF1, Pavel Durov may be charged in France with crimes related to terrorism, drug trafficking, fraud, money laundering, selling stolen goods, and sexual offenses against minors. This is due to the lack of content moderation on Telegram, refusal to cooperate with the authorities, and the use of the platform for cryptocurrency transactions and disposable numbers. French law enforcement officials believe that Durov's refusal to moderate content makes him an accomplice to crimes committed through Telegram.
According to TF1's source, the arrest of the Telegram founder is almost inevitable, and he is currently in custody. "He has allowed countless offenses and crimes to be committed on his platform without doing anything to prevent them or cooperate with the authorities," the source said. According to the TV channel, Durov is due to appear before an investigating judge today.
The arrest warrant for Durov is valid only within France. According to TF1, the entrepreneur was aware of his status as a "persona non grata" in this country, so he rarely visited Europe and avoided countries where the authorities are particularly closely monitoring Telegram. "Today he made a mistake. We do not know the reasons for this," the source said. BFMTV characterized Durov's appearance in France as "mysterious."
In 2021, it became known that Pavel Durov, who left Russia in 2014, was granted French citizenship. He has recently been living in the UAE.
According to TF1, the French authorities may use Durov's detention to increase pressure on European countries to crack down on encrypted messengers, which are often used by terrorists. After the arrest, the Toncoin (TON) cryptocurrency used in Telegram depreciated by 14%.
The reaction of Russian parliamentarians to the arrest was not delayed. Andrei Klishas, chairman of the Federation Council's Committee on Constitutional Legislation, called France's actions "a defense of freedom of speech and European values." State Duma Deputy Speaker Vladislav Davankov appealed to Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov to seek Durov's release, arguing that the arrest could have political overtones and be a means of gaining access to personal data of Telegram users. The Society for the Protection of the Internet assessed this situation as an attempt by France to introduce censorship.
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