Telegram founder Pavel Durov recalled an incident that happened a year ago in France, sharing a personal post. According to him, exactly one year ago, French police, citing the fact that people he had never even heard of used Telegram for criminal purposes, held him under arrest for four days.
“Arresting the CEO of a major platform for the actions of its users was legally and logically complete nonsense,” he stated.
According to Durov, investigators have still not found a single piece of evidence proving his personal guilt or Telegram’s involvement in any violations of the law.
“The most ridiculous part is that I was arrested due to a mistake by the French police. Until August 2024, they ignored French and EU laws and never submitted official requests to Telegram through the required legal procedures.
Even a year after this strange arrest, I am still required to travel to France every 14 days. What’s more, the appeal period has not even been set. Therefore, the only result of my detention was the damage to France’s reputation as a free country,” Durov said.
He emphasized that despite all the obstacles and difficulties, they will continue to fight and will certainly win.
It should be recalled that on August 25 of last year, Pavel Durov was detained when he arrived in Paris on his private jet from Azerbaijan, landing at Le Bourget airport. French law enforcement accused him of “drug trafficking, crimes against children, and fraud.” The reason given was the lack of moderation on the messenger and his refusal to cooperate with police authorities.
After nearly eight months of “captivity,” the Telegram founder left France and returned to Dubai.
Thus, in Durov’s recollections, the arrest in France remained not only a personal ordeal but also an event that sparked major debates worldwide about freedom of speech and digital independence.
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