Durov Breaks Silence for the First Time Since Being Arrested in France
Pavel Durov has commented that the charges brought against him in France were “surprising.” For more details, read the full article on RT.com.
TroibNews 
Telegram founder Pavel Durov criticized the French authorities for what he deemed “surprising” arguments during his arrest at a Paris airport last month.
The Russian-French businessman was detained upon arriving at Paris-Le Bourget Airport on August 24 and was subsequently released on bail a few days later. He faces 12 charges, including complicity in distributing child pornography, drug dealing, and money laundering. These allegations arise from the claim that Telegram's lenient moderation practices enable extensive criminal activity on the platform.
In a detailed statement released on Telegram Thursday night, Durov stated that the prosecution's stance was “surprising for several reasons.”
“If a country is unhappy with an internet service, the established practice is to start a legal action against the service itself,” Durov wrote. “Using laws from the pre-smartphone era to charge a CEO with crimes committed by third parties on the platform he manages is a misguided approach.”
He emphasized the challenges of developing technology, asserting that no innovator will create new tools if they believe they could be personally liable for potential misuse.
Durov claimed that the police informed him he could be “personally responsible for other people’s illegal use of Telegram because the French authorities didn’t receive responses from Telegram.”
He countered the argument about his company's accessibility, mentioning that Telegram has an official representative in the EU who responds to inquiries. “Its email address has been publicly available for anyone in the EU who googles ‘Telegram EU address for law enforcement,’” he wrote.
“The French authorities had numerous ways to reach me to request assistance,” he added, noting that he was “a frequent guest” at the French consulate in Dubai.
Though originally from Russia, Durov has resided in Dubai since the late 2010s, and he holds citizenship in France, the UAE, and St. Kitts and Nevis.
Ian Smith contributed to this report for TROIB News
The Russian-French businessman was detained upon arriving at Paris-Le Bourget Airport on August 24 and was subsequently released on bail a few days later. He faces 12 charges, including complicity in distributing child pornography, drug dealing, and money laundering. These allegations arise from the claim that Telegram's lenient moderation practices enable extensive criminal activity on the platform.
In a detailed statement released on Telegram Thursday night, Durov stated that the prosecution's stance was “surprising for several reasons.”
“If a country is unhappy with an internet service, the established practice is to start a legal action against the service itself,” Durov wrote. “Using laws from the pre-smartphone era to charge a CEO with crimes committed by third parties on the platform he manages is a misguided approach.”
He emphasized the challenges of developing technology, asserting that no innovator will create new tools if they believe they could be personally liable for potential misuse.
Durov claimed that the police informed him he could be “personally responsible for other people’s illegal use of Telegram because the French authorities didn’t receive responses from Telegram.”
He countered the argument about his company's accessibility, mentioning that Telegram has an official representative in the EU who responds to inquiries. “Its email address has been publicly available for anyone in the EU who googles ‘Telegram EU address for law enforcement,’” he wrote.
“The French authorities had numerous ways to reach me to request assistance,” he added, noting that he was “a frequent guest” at the French consulate in Dubai.
Though originally from Russia, Durov has resided in Dubai since the late 2010s, and he holds citizenship in France, the UAE, and St. Kitts and Nevis.
Ian Smith contributed to this report for TROIB News
