French authorities have now shared The reason for the arrest on August 24 of Telegram founder and CEO Pavel Durov. His arrest came in response to a series of charges, including complicity in “distributing, offering or making available pornographic images of minors, in an organized group.” The charges stem from a judicial investigation opened on July 8 against an unnamed individual.
The statement, drafted by the public prosecutor Laure Beccuau, details 12 charges in total, including money laundering, drug trafficking, fraud, running an online platform allowing illegal transactions and possession of child pornography. Durov may remain in custody until Wednesday, August 28.
The arrest has raised questions about how much responsibility leaders bear for what happens on their platforms. Telegram shared a post In its message, Telegram claims that the company “complies with EU laws” and “it is absurd to claim that a platform or its owner is responsible for the abuse of that platform.” There have also been protests from people such as Elon Musk, the owner of x (formerly twitter), who posted “#FreePavel” on x, and NSA whistleblower and now Russian citizen Edward Snowden, who called it politically motivated. Telegram is especially popular in Russia and Ukraine.
French President Emmanuel Macron x.com/EmmanuelMacron/status/1828077245606342672″ rel=”nofollow noopener” target=”_blank” data-ylk=”slk:responded on x;cpos:6;pos:1;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas” class=”link “>answered in x (formerly twitter) for “false information” that the arrest was politically motivated. “France is deeply committed to freedom of expression and communication, to innovation and entrepreneurship. It will remain so,” Macron said on August 26. “In a state of law, freedoms are respected within a legal framework, both on social networks and in real life, to protect citizens and respect their fundamental rights. It is up to the judiciary, with full independence, to enforce the law.”
