Pavel Durov, co-founder and CEO of messaging and social media platform Telegram, was arrested at a Paris airport, according to French media reports published on Saturday.
He was arrested by French police at Paris’ Le Bourget airport around 8 p.m. local time after flying in from Azerbaijan, French news channel TF1 Info reported, citing police sources.
BFM, another French media outlet, and TF1 reported that Durov, who has dual citizenship of France and the United Arab Emirates, was arrested as part of a preliminary police investigation into aiding and abetting possible crime due to a lack of moderators on Telegram and a lack of cooperation with the police.
“Telegram is a repository of criminal content. The platform is currently in the spotlight for illegal sports broadcasts, but many accounts on this service are used by organized crime. In addition to terrorism, most dangerous criminals use Telegram to exchange child pornography content,” a source told TF1 Info.
There was no official confirmation from France of the arrest or the measures taken against Telegram. According to French media, Durov faces charges on Sunday.
The Epoch Times reached out to Telegram for comment on Sunday. The French Interior Ministry did not respond to a request for comment.
Telegram, based in Dubai, was founded by Durov, who left Russia in 2014 after refusing to comply with demands to shut down opposition communities on his social media platform VK, which he later sold.
The encrypted application, with almost a billion users, is particularly influential in Russia, Ukraine and the republics of the former Soviet Union. It is considered one of the most important social media platforms after Facebook, YouTube, WhatsApp, Instagram, TikTok and WeChat.
Since the beginning of the war between Russia and Ukraine, the platform has become an important intelligence service, providing up-to-date information on the conflict, including from the Ukrainian and Russian governments and military officials.
Telegram’s website states that the company is “committed to protecting users’ privacy and human rights such as freedom of expression and assembly.”
In an interview with commentator Tucker Carlson earlier this year, Durov said he wanted Telegram to be a “neutral platform” and not interfere in geopolitics.
“I think it’s the best place for a neutral platform like ours if we want to make sure that we can protect the privacy and freedom of expression of our users,” he told Carlson, adding that Telegram users “love independence.”
“They also love the privacy, the freedom, (there are) many reasons why someone would switch to Telegram,” he said at the time.
The arrest of the 39-year-old technology billionaire sparked a warning and criticism on Sunday from X owner Elon Musk, who said freedom of expression in Europe was in danger.
Musk, the billionaire owner of X, wrote on his platform following reports of Durov’s imprisonment: “It’s 2030 in Europe and you’re going to be executed for liking a meme.”
Video footage showed a lone demonstrator in front of the French embassy in Moscow holding a sign reading “Liberté pour Pavel Durov,” which means “Freedom for Pavel Durov.”
The boss of Rumble, a video sharing platform, wrote to X that he had left Europe after the alleged arrest of Durov.
“I just left Europe safely,” wrote Rumble CEO Chris Pavlovski. “France threatened Rumble and now they’ve crossed a red line by arresting Telegram CEO Pavel Durov.”
“Rumble will not tolerate this behavior and will use all available legal means to fight for freedom of expression, a universal human right. We are currently fighting in the courts of France and hope for the immediate release of Pavel Durov.
The Russian Foreign Ministry said via state media that it had sent a note to the French Foreign Ministry regarding the arrest.
Reuters contributed to this report.
From The Epoch Times
