After being prosecuted by French authorities and appearing in court, Pavel Durov, the creator and CEO of the messaging app Telegram, was freed from detention and placed under judicial supervision.
French prosecutors announced on August 28 that they had charged Durov with crimes connected to his employment at Telegram. He was not allowed to leave France and had to deposit a bond of five million euros (about five million dollars) in order to be freed from detention.
In an extensively circulated video, Durov is seen leaving a Paris courtroom on August 28 in an image from the state-run Russian news agency RIA Novosti.
On August 24, Durov was arrested at an airport north of Paris and taken to court by police. At first, the Telegram CEO’s arrest was prolonged by authorities until August 28, at which point it was anticipated that he would be charged in court or released.
Prosecutors announced following the founder of Telegram’s detention that he was being held as part of a July court probe into “person unnamed.”
Complicity in unlawful activity, defiance of law enforcement, money laundering, criminal association, and unreported provision of cryptology services were among the charges.
According to French prosecutors, Durov assisted in the dissemination of child pornography and provided support for illegal actions via Telegram. In Switzerland, he is allegedly facing claims of child abuse relating to the French case.
Many of Durov’s supporters have attacked French authorities for detaining the CEO of Telegram, saying the action violated his right to free speech.
Telegram had around 900 million active monthly users as of 2024. Durov’s court appearance about the usage of messaging apps for unlawful activity or the transmission of illicit content could serve as a model for other CEOs of social media companies, such as Elon Musk or Mark Zuckerberg.
Even though French President Emmanuel Macron stated that Durov’s arrest was made for political reasons, a lot of unanswered concerns remain after four days.
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