Pavel Durov, the Franco-Russian founder and CEO of Telegram, was arrested on August 25 at Le Bourget Airport in Paris, France. He was detained while attempting to depart on his private jet. He is facing multiple charges against him and he had been facing such charges from the day he founded Telegram. Pavel is accused of not making proper moderations on his app regarding the increased activity of drug trafficking, child sexual content and fraud.
Telegram is an app which is used to send messages, including media on it. It is encrypted and considered more secure than WhatsApp. It was founded in 2013. Pavel Durov was born in Russia but in 2014 he fled Russia and then after trying many countries he finally settled in UAE where Telegram is also based. He has dual nationality of France and UAE.
Telegram is the only source of exact, clear and instant information on what is happening in Gaza, Ukraine or Russia. It is also believed that France faces damages in Africa due to Telegram, because Africans manage and make all protests on Telegram.
Telegram was banned in Russia in 2018 because Russian government demanded user data which Telegram failed to provide. But later in 2021 it was un-banned.
On Sunday, the Russian Embassy in France wrote on Facebook that it was seeking to “clarify the reasons for the detention and to provide for the protection of Mr Durov’s rights and facilitate consular access”. The post added that French authorities had not been cooperating with Russian officials.
Russian Foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova posted on Telegram asking whether Western human rights NGOs would be silent on Mr Durov’s arrest, after they criticised Russia’s decision to “create obstacles” to the work of Telegram in Russia in 2018.
X owner Elon Musk, who has faced extensive criticism over moderation and material hosted by his own social media site, posted repeatedly about the situation. He hashtagged one post #freepavel, and in another wrote: “POV [Point of view]: It’s 2030 in Europe and you’re being executed for liking a meme.”
