On Aug. 29, French President Emmanuel Macron delivered a press conference during his diplomatic visit to Serbia. During the televised visit, the French leader told reporters that he did not invite Telegram co-founder Pavel Durov to the country, nor was he aware of his trip to France. According to a translated version of Macron’s response, the French president said:
"As far as I'm concerned, I was absolutely unaware of Mr. Durov's coming to France. And this is quite normal because I have not been aware of the coming of nationals from all over the world whether they have French nationality or not."
The French president then reiterated that Durov’s case would be handled by the “independent action of the French justice system.”
Macron has faced widespread, international backlash for the decision to arrest Durov. He maintains that the decision to detain the tech entrepreneur was not political.
Source: Viktor
Durov has been formally charged by French prosecutors and is currently free on a 5 million euro bail-bond agreement but must remain in the country and check in with law enforcement weekly.
Related: Has Telegram violated EU laws, and why has its founder been charged in France?
Widespread, international condemnation of France and Macron
Immediately following Durov’s arrest, Macron faced widespread criticism from the international community — including executives within crypto and the tech sector — some of whom likened France to the final days of the Soviet Union and other authoritarian regimes.
During Durov’s initial detainment, Gabor Gurbacs, the former director of digital asset strategy at VanEck, responded to Macron’s denial of political motivation by asking: “You arrest the guy then see if he did something wrong? Is this the ‘rule of law’ and ‘freedom of expression’ you are talking about?”
Helius Labs CEO Mert Mumtaz likewise asked the French president, “Why aren’t you personally in jail for not controlling 100% of all crime in France?” The Solana-based developer also told Macron:
“You can’t keep founders personally liable, and charge them up to 20 years, for not moderating speech and at the same time claim you’re deeply committed to freedom of expression.”
The arrest of Durov has sparked fears of a broader crackdown on decentralized technology and free speech-oriented tech entrepreneurs, prompting Rumble CEO Chris Pavlovski to depart from Europe after his company allegedly received threats from French officials.
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