Telegram Founder Pavel Durov’s Detention Extended Following Arrest in France

French authorities have prolonged the detention of Telegram founder and CEO Pavel Durov, who was arrested at a Paris airport over allegations that his messaging app aids criminal activities, including money laundering and drug trafficking.

An investigating magistrate has ordered that Durov, 39, remain in detention beyond Sunday night, as reported by the AFP news agency, citing a source close to the investigation. Durov may be held for up to 96 hours for questioning, after which he must either be charged or released.

According to local sources, Durov was travelling on his private jet from Azerbaijan and was targeted by a French arrest warrant as part of a preliminary investigation.

France’s OFMIN, the agency responsible for tackling violence against minors, is investigating Durov, who was born in Russia, in relation to alleged offences such as fraud, drug trafficking, cyberbullying, organised crime, and terrorism promotion.

This information was reported by AFP, quoting officials who requested anonymity.
Durov is accused of not preventing the use of his app for criminal activities.

Both TF1 TV and BFM TV, citing unnamed sources, reported that the investigation is centred on alleged inadequacies in moderation on the platform. Telegram has stated that Durov “has nothing to hide” and frequently travels across Europe.

“Telegram complies with EU regulations, including the Digital Services Act -- its moderation practices align with industry standards,” the platform said in a statement.

“It is absurd to suggest that a platform or its owner are responsible for misuse of the platform.”
The Russian embassy in France has demanded consular access to Durov and called for the protection of his rights, according to the Russian state news agency TASS.

The embassy claimed that France has so far “avoided engagement” on Durov’s situation, but Russian diplomats are in contact with his lawyer.

Telegram, which has nearly 1 billion users, was established by Durov and his brother in 2013 in Russia.

Durov left Russia in 2014 in search of a new base for his company, exploring cities such as Berlin, Singapore, and San Francisco before settling in Dubai. Following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Telegram became a major source of unfiltered and sometimes graphic content from both sides in the conflict.|

The app is widely used by Russian and Ukrainian officials, including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Several European countries, including France, have expressed concerns about the app regarding security and data privacy.

In response to Durov’s arrest, Mikhail Ulyanov, Russia’s permanent representative to the United Nations in Vienna, accused France of behaving like a “totalitarian” society. “Some naive individuals still fail to grasp that if they play a more visible role in the international information sphere, visiting countries that are becoming increasingly totalitarian is unsafe,” Ulyanov wrote on X.

Several Russian bloggers have called for protests outside French embassies worldwide.
Ben Aris, editor-in-chief of bne IntelliNews, told Al Jazeera that Durov is also facing issues in Russia for refusing to provide the Kremlin with electronic keys to access private Telegram messages.

Russia began blocking Telegram in 2018 after the app refused to comply with a court order to grant state security services access to users’ encrypted messages.

“Durov was in Azerbaijan where Putin recently visited… He is likely attempting to persuade Putin to lift the ban on Telegram in Russia,” Aris said.

Meanwhile, tech mogul and billionaire Elon Musk has also criticised Durov’s arrest, writing on X: “It’s 2030 in Europe, and you’re being executed for liking a meme.”

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