On Aug. 24, Durov was arrested at Le Bourget airport north of Paris.
Pavel Durov, the co-founder and CEO of Telegram, stays detained by French authorities following his arrest on Saturday night time.
On Saturday, France’s Workplace for the Safety of Minors (OFMIN) issued an arrest warrant for Durov based mostly on allegations of facilitating organized crime, drug trafficking, fraud, cyberbullying, and selling terrorism, in keeping with an nameless supply cited by information company AFP. Durov is reportedly accused of enabling stated crimes by failing to implement a content material moderation program to stop the misuse of the platform.
In accordance with The Guardian, Durov’s detention was initially scheduled to finish on Sunday night time, however was prolonged by an investigating Justice of the Peace. The preliminary magisterial questioning interval can last as long as 96 hours, after which the decide can launch or press expenses in opposition to the defendant.
Pavel Durov, 39, who was born in Russia and holds citizenship in each France and the United Arab Emirates, was arrested on Aug. 24 at Le Bourget airport north of Paris. He was taken into custody instantly after touchdown his personal jet, which had departed from Azerbaijan.
The Open Community’s TON token, a blockchain protocol built-in with Telegram, fell sharply after Durov’s arrest, dropping round 14% from its Saturday opening worth of $6.72, in keeping with The Defiant’s crypto worth feeds. Nonetheless, TON has since bounced again 8% from its native low, final altering palms for $5.62.
Telegram’s Response
Telegram responded on social media, stating they adjust to EU legal guidelines, together with the Digital Providers Act — which prohibits “unlawful content material,” together with “hate speech,” “terrorist content material,” and “the sale of unlawful items and providers” on on-line platforms. Telegram additionally claimed its content material moderation is inside “business requirements” and “continually enhancing.”
“It’s absurd to assert {that a} platform or its proprietor are accountable for abuse of that platform,” the assertion learn. “Virtually a billion customers globally use Telegram as a way of communication and as a supply of important info.”
Telegram added that Durov has nothing to cover and often travels round Europe.
Assist for Durov
Distinguished tech executives and representatives of the web3 business took to X to touch upon Durov’sarrest
Vitalik Buterin, Ethereum’s chief scientist, voiced issues regardless of beforehand criticizing Telegram’s encryption requirements. “Given the data accessible thus far, the cost appears to be simply being ‘unmoderated’ and never giving up individuals’s information — this seems to be very unhealthy and worrying for the way forward for software program and comms freedom in Europe.”
Elon Musk, the Tesla co-founder and proprietor of X, shared a earlier interview between Durov and journalist Tucker Carlson with the hashtag #FreePavel.
Chris Pavlovski, CEO of Rumble, a video-sharing platform selling itself as opposing censorship, posted on X that he had left Europe after Durov’s arrest.
“I’ve simply safely departed from Europe,” Pavlovski wrote. “France has threatened Rumble, and now they’ve crossed a purple line by arresting Telegram’s CEO, Pavel Durov, reportedly for not censoring speech.”
Russia says France is “refusing to cooperate”
Russia is reportedly looking for solutions from France about Durov’s arrest, nevertheless, the Russian embassy claims that France has been unresponsive thus far.
“We instantly requested French authorities to elucidate the explanations for this detention and demanded that his rights be protected and that consular entry be granted,” the Russian embassy stated in a press release. “To date, the French aspect is refusing to cooperate on this query.”
Russia’s efforts to contact France relating to the case come regardless of Durov’s traditionally contentious relationship with the Russian authorities.
In 2014, Durov left Russia after refusing to close down opposition teams on VKontakte (VK), the social community likened to “Russia’s Fb” that he created in 2006. Durov and his brother Nikolai launched Telegram in 2013 in response to claimed disputes between the pair and VK’s Kremlin-linked homeowners.
Betters on Polymarket, a prediction platform, supply lengthy odds on the discharge of Durov from detention. Polymarket merchants are presently betting that there’s a 28% probability that Durov will probably be freed by Aug. 31, down from 50% on Sunday. The entire quantity wagered available on the market is roughly $85,000.
