FRENCH POLICE DETAIN PAVEL DUROV, TELEGRAM CHIEF EXECUTIVE
Pavel Durov, the chief executive of Telegram, has been detained by French police at Le Bourget Airport, north of Paris.
To such a statement, French media adds that the billionaire was detained after the landing of his private jet. Durov was arrested based on the warrant issued regarding the popular messaging app.
Reports say he is under an investigation over an alleged lack of moderators; Durov is accused of not doing enough to stop criminal uses of Telegram.
Born in Russia but now residing in Dubai, Durov is a dual citizen of the United Arab Emirates and France. Pavel Durov founded Telegram in 2013, which remains extraordinarily popular in Russia, Ukraine, and former Soviet Union states, but it was banned in Russia in 2018 after founder Pavel Durov refused to give up user data. The ban was lifted in 2021.
The Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman, Maria Zakharova, took to Telegram to say that Durov’s arrest would show whether Western human rights NGOs were going to remain silent, since those very same organizations criticized Moscow’s actions back in 2018 when Telegram was banned.
“Will Western human rights NGOs be silent on this matter?” Zakharova posted.
Several Russian officials denounced the arrest.
One of them is X owner Elon Musk, who has been under constant scathing for moderation issues on his own platform.
Musk made a few posts about the situation of that young man with hashtags and provocative statements. Another read, “POV: it’s 2030 in Europe and you’re being executed for liking a meme,” while another said “#freepavel.”.
Durov’s arrest has opened the way to huge controversy, which holds further implications for any discussion of freedom of speech and the governance of digital spaces. Reactions are due to be received from all global figures and institutions likely to shape discourse around the case as the investigation unfolds.
