Pavel Durov, the Russian-French billionaire founder and CEO of the famous messaging app Telegram, was arrested in France on Saturday. According to Reuters, his private jet had just landed at Bourget Airport in Paris.
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The French Interior Ministry and police have not yet remarked on the arrest, and Telegram has stayed silent. The Russian foreign ministry has stated that its embassy in Paris is aiming for more information and has called on Western NGOs to push for Durov’s release.
Durov encounters several serious charges from the French agency OFMIN, which deals with crimes against minors. The charges include fraud, drug trafficking, cyberbullying, and arranged crime. It is also alleged that Durov ignored dangerous activities happening on Telegram. French media reports suggest that Durov might be formally indicted as soon as Sunday.
The arrest comes amid controversy over Telegram’s denial to censor anti-Israel content. Hackers who stole sensitive Israeli data have been posting it on Telegram, and the company has not complied with Israel’s request to remove the content.
American television host Tucker Carlson tweeted a Censorship News, “Pavel Durov sits in a French jail tonight, a living sign to any platform owner who refuses to censor the truth at the direction of governments and intel agencies.”
Elon Musk, owner of X (formerly Twitter), commented, “It’s 2030 in Europe, and you’re being executed for liking a meme.”
Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Maria Zakharova used Telegram to ask whether Western human rights groups would speak out about Durov’s arrest. She noted that these organizations had previously blamed Russia for restricting Telegram’s operations in 2018.
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