France’s prosecutor’s office has released more information regarding the arrest of Telegram founder and CEO Pavel Durov on Aug. 24.
In an Aug. 26 notice, French prosecutors said Durov had been taken into custody as part of a judicial investigation “against person unnamed” on charges, including complicity with illegal activities, refusal to communicate to authorities, money laundering, criminal association and providing cryptology services without prior declaration. Authorities said they intended to question the Telegram founder as part of this investigation and had extended the timeframe for his custody from Aug. 25 to Aug. 28.
The announcement followed French President Emmanuel Macron’s response to what he called “false information” on social media about Durov’s arrest. The president said the arrest was “in no way a political decision” and France was “deeply committed to freedom of expression.”
Press release. Source: Tribunal Judiciaire de Paris
It’s unclear if Durov may also be a target of the French investigation, but the notice did not suggest he was facing charges. Authorities opened a judicial investigation on July 8 following an inquiry from the Paris Public Prosecutor’s Office.
Born in the former Soviet Union, Durov has also reportedly held citizenship with France, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Saint Kitts and Nevis. In 2013, he helped launch Telegram with his brother Nikolai.
In an Aug. 27 notice, the UAE’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it was “closely monitoring” Durov’s case. The department added it had submitted a request to the French government “to provide him with all the necessary consular services in an urgent manner.”
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Following Durov’s arrest, many on social media criticized French authorities, claiming the move represented an attack on freedom of expression. The Telegram team said Durov has “nothing to hide,” while Chris Pavlovski — the CEO of the controversial video-sharing platform Rumble, said he hoped for the Telegram founder’s “immediate release.”
“We had to shutdown Rumble in France because you have NO committment to freedom of expression,” Pavlovski said in response to President Macron’s X post.
Natalia Krapiva, tech legal counsel at Access Now, said on X that the group was “push[ing] back very hard against governmental demands to access Telegram’s encryption keys,” citing privacy concerns over the messaging app in Russia and Kenya. Officials are also reportedly investigating Telegram in India.
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This is a developing story, and further information will be added as it becomes available.