PARIS (AP) — French prosecutors on Wednesday released Telegram CEO Pavel Durov from police custody after four days of questioning over allegations that the messaging app was being used for illegal activities.
Durov was detained at Le Bourget airport outside Paris on Saturday as part of a judicial investigation into 12 suspected criminal offences that was opened last month.
“The investigating judge will terminate police custody of Pavel Durov and bring him before the court for his first appearance and possible indictment,” the Paris prosecutor's office said in a statement.
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The accusations against Durov, a Russian-born French national, include that his platform was being used to facilitate child sexual abuse material, drug trafficking, fraud and organized crime trafficking, and that Telegram refused to share information and documents with investigators when required by law.
Durov's arrest in France has sparked outrage in Russia, with some government officials calling it politically motivated and evidence of the West's double standards on freedom of speech. The protests have raised eyebrows among Kremlin critics because Russian authorities themselves tried and failed to block the Telegram app in 2018, only to rescind the ban in 2020.
Telegram is widely used in Iran despite being officially banned after years of protests challenging the country's Shiite theocracy. Durov's arrest in France prompted comments from Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who implicitly praised France for being “tough” on those who “violate the governance” of the internet.
French President Emmanuel Macron said Monday that Durov's arrest was not a political move but part of an independent investigation. Macron posted on X that his country was “deeply committed” to freedom of expression, but that “freedoms are protected within the bounds of legal frameworks to protect our citizens and respect their fundamental rights, both on social media and in real life.”
In a statement posted on its platform after Durov's arrest, Telegram said it complied with EU law and that its moderation was “within industry standards and is constantly improving.”
“It is absurd to claim that the platform or its owners are responsible for the misuse of its platform,” Telegram's post read. “Nearly one billion users around the world use Telegram as a means of communication and an important source of information. We await a swift resolution to this situation. Telegram stands with you.”
In addition to Russian and French citizenship, Durov also holds United Arab Emirates and Caribbean island nation of St. Kitts and Nevis citizenship.
The UAE Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday it was “closely monitoring the incident” and had asked France to provide Durov with “all urgently required consular services.”
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said he hoped Durov would “have all the necessary opportunities for his legal defence”, adding that Moscow was “ready to provide all necessary assistance and support” to the Telegram CEO, who is a Russian national.
“But the situation is complicated by the fact that he is also a French citizen,” Peskov said.
Telegram, which claims to have nearly one billion users worldwide, was founded by Durov and his brother after facing pressure from Russian authorities.
In 2013, he sold his shares in VKontakte, a popular Russian social networking site that he launched in 2006.
The company came under pressure when the Russian government cracked down on mass pro-democracy protests that rocked Moscow in late 2011 and 2012.
Durov said authorities demanded the site remove online communities of Russian oppositionists and then asked it to hand over the personal information of users who took part in the 2013-2014 Ukrainian uprising that ultimately ousted the pro-Kremlin president.
Durov said in a recent interview that he rejected those demands and left the country.
The protests prompted Russian authorities to crack down on the digital space, making Telegram and its privacy-focused discourse a useful way for Russians to communicate and share news.
Telegram remains a popular news source in Ukraine, with media and government officials using it to share information about the war and distribute missile and air raid warnings.
Western governments have frequently criticised Telegram for its lack of content moderation, and experts say the messaging app could be used to share material related to money laundering, drug trafficking and the sexual exploitation of minors.
In 2022, Germany fined Telegram's operators $5 million for failing to establish legal channels for reporting illegal content or designate an organization in Germany to receive official correspondence, both of which are required by German law regulating large online platforms.