Pavel Durov, the 39-year-old founder of the encrypted messaging app Telegram, has been arrested in France, prompting strong reactions from Russian officials who describe him as a “political prisoner.” Durov, a Russian-born billionaire, was detained after his private jet landed at Le Bourget airport near Paris on Saturday. The reasons for his arrest remain unclear, but reports from BFMTV suggest the warrant may be related to issues such as the lack of moderators on Telegram and potential criminal activities on the platform, including money laundering, drug trafficking, and the sharing of child sex abuse content.
Russian lawmakers have criticized the arrest, with Maria Butina, a Russian official who previously served 15 months in a U.S. prison for acting as an unregistered agent, condemning the move. She accused European authorities of attempting to seize control of Telegram and labeled Durov a victim of a “witch-hunt” by the West. Butina further claimed that Durov’s arrest signals the end of freedom of speech in Europe and suggested that European authorities might use Durov as leverage against Russia.
Durov, who left Russia in 2014 after losing control of his previous social media platform Vkontakte (VK), has been living in Dubai since 2017 and became a French citizen in 2021. His departure from Russia followed his refusal to comply with government demands to shut down opposition groups on VK and to hand over data on Ukrainian protesters to Russian security agencies.
The Russian embassy in France has called for consular access to Durov and demanded that his rights be respected. However, French authorities, including the interior ministry, police, and Paris prosecutor’s office, have not commented on the situation. Reports suggest that Durov could face an indictment on Sunday.
Telegram, one of the most popular apps globally, with nearly one billion users, is known for its strong emphasis on privacy and end-to-end encryption, which protects user data from being intercepted. The platform’s privacy features have made it a focal point of both praise and controversy, especially in contexts involving freedom of speech and security concerns.
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