Telegram founder and CEO Pavel Durov. Photo: AOP.Press/Corbis/Getty Images.
The Russian founder of the messaging app Telegram, Pavel Durov, has been arrested in France just after he arrived in Paris on a private jet on Saturday.
Durov, who obtained French citizenship in 2021, was arrested at Paris-Le Bourget Airport at around 8pm local time on Saturday, August 24. He is also a citizen of the UAE, Saint Kitts and Nevis, and his native Russia.
His jet had arrived in the French capital from Azerbaijan. The 39-year-old tech entrepreneur was accompanied by a woman and his bodyguard, according to a report by the French news outlet LCI.
According to the report, the French authorities issued an arrest warrant for the tech entrepreneur as part of a preliminary investigation. The French government considers that Telegram’s “insufficient moderation,” its encryption tools and alleged lack of cooperation with French authorities could make Durov complicit in drug trafficking, pedophilia offenses, fraud, terrorism, money laundering and a host of other offenses.
Durov is set to appear before a judge on Sunday evening and could face up to 20 years in prison, according to French journalist Cyrille Amoursky.
Due to being a French citizen, the Telegram founder may also face accusations of violating sanctions imposed on Moscow by the EU due to his contacts in Russia.
Durov’s arrest warrant was only legitimate on the territory of France. “He made a mistake tonight. We don’t know why,” a source close to the investigation told LCI. “In any case, he’s locked up.”
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Russia denied consular access to Durov
The Russian embassy in Paris demanded that French authorities explain the reasons for the arrest of the Telegram founder.
The Russian embassy said in a statement on Sunday, August 25, that “as soon as the news of Durov’s arrest broke, we immediately addressed the French authorities for clarification on the reasons for it and demanded that they ensure the protection of his rights and provide consular access to him.”
However, there has been no reply from Paris yet. “The French side has so far been avoiding cooperation on this issue,” the statement added.
The embassy further reported that it remains in contact with Durov’s lawyer.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said later on Sunday that Moscow has sent an official note to Paris with a demand for consular access to Durov. “But he has French citizenship, which France perceives as precedential,” she told RIA-Novosti news agency.
Zakharova also called upon international human rights organizations such as Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International to stand up for free speech and put pressure on France to release the Telegram founder.
The deputy speaker of the Russian parliament, Vladislav Davankov, condemned the arrest as “politically motivated.”
Russian Human Rights Commissioner Tatiana Moskalkova opined that those who are behind Durov’s arrest intend to shut down Telegram.
“It is clear that the real cause of Pavel Durov’s arrest is an attempt to shut down Telegram, a digital platform where one can learn the truth about what is happening in the world,” Moskalkova posted on her Telegram channel on Sunday morning.
She added that the arrest is a flagrant violation of the right to free speech and “another clear sign of double standards” on the part of countries that claim to “uphold democracy.”
