Pavel Durov, the creator of the messaging app Telegram, shared an update on his ongoing case in France, stating that the criminal investigation against him is “struggling” to uncover any evidence of wrongdoing.
Durov described his arrest by French authorities in August 2024 as “unprecedented” and argued that holding a tech executive accountable for the actions of independent users is “legally and logically absurd.” He made this statement in a Telegram post on Sunday. Durov stated:
“A year later, the ‘criminal investigation’ against me is still struggling to find anything that I or Telegram did wrong. Our moderation practices align with industry standards, and Telegram has always complied with every legally binding request from France.”
“One year after this odd arrest, I still have to return to France every 14 days, with no appeal date in sight,” he added, cautioning that the French government has irreparably harmed France’s image as a free nation.
Source: Pavel Durov
Durov’s arrest drew significant backlash from the crypto community, human rights advocates, and free speech supporters, who accused the French government of detaining the Telegram founder to coerce him into censoring the platform.
Related: One year since Durov’s arrest: What’s happened and what’s ahead?
Pavel Durov’s arrest creates massive backlash against the French government
Durov faced charges and was initially prohibited from leaving France due to an inquiry into the Telegram platform’s content moderation practices, with French law enforcement alleging the platform hosted harmful content.
French President Emmanuel Macron dismissed claims that the arrest was politically motivated, prompting a wave of accusations of censorship and criticism from the crypto community.
Mert Mumtaz, CEO of node provider Helius, responded to Macron by questioning: “Why aren’t you personally in jail for not controlling 100% of all crime in France?”
Durov has reiterated that Telegram adheres to all legal law enforcement requests and maintains that the company will leave a jurisdiction rather than yield to censorship demands.
The Telegram platform will not compromise user privacy by surrendering encryption keys or creating backdoors into the messaging application, Durov emphasized.
Magazine: Did Telegram’s Pavel Durov commit a crime? Crypto lawyers weigh in
