Telegram’s Pavel Durov Detained in France
Pavel Durov, the founder of Telegram, was detained at Le Bourget airport in Paris. This was reported by French channels TF1 and BFMTV, citing sources.
According to media reports, he may face numerous charges, including terrorism, drug trafficking, fraud, and money laundering.
Sources indicate that the French court believes the lack of thorough moderation on Telegram and the platform’s reluctance to cooperate with law enforcement make Durov complicit in crimes committed via the messenger.
The billionaire was reportedly detained upon arrival from Azerbaijan on a private jet. The basis, according to media, was a warrant issued during a preliminary investigation. Durov is currently in custody and is set to appear in court on August 25, journalists specified.
On August 20, the Telegram channel Baza, citing sources, reported that Russian President Vladimir Putin refused to meet with the Telegram founder in Azerbaijan. The reason for the refusal and the topic of the potential meeting were not specified.
According to TF1 sources, Durov was aware he was considered a “persona non grata” in France, which is why he rarely traveled in Europe and avoided countries where Telegram is under close scrutiny.
“Today he made a mistake. We don’t know why,” added the source.
BFMTV described Durov’s presence in France as a “mystery.”
The Telegram founder holds citizenship in Russia, France, the UAE, and Saint Kitts and Nevis. As RIA Novosti writes, citing French journalist Cyril Amourski, Durov faces up to 20 years in prison.
Billionaire Elon Musk called the news of Telegram’s founder’s detention a “compelling advertisement” for the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which guarantees freedom of speech and press.
Check out this ad for the First Amendment. It is very convincing.
https://t.co/mb4UCSZcgR— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 24, 2024
Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin criticized Durov’s detention and expressed concern about the “future of software freedom” in Europe.
I’ve criticized Telegram before for not being serious with encryption.
But (given the info available so far: the charge seems to be just being “unmoderated” and not giving up people’s data), this looks very bad and worrying for the future of software and comms freedom in Europe.
— vitalik.eth (@VitalikButerin) August 25, 2024
The TON team assured that they will continue their work and supported Durov.
Statement from the TON Community
Following the recent news related to the Telegram’s founder Pavel Durov, we want to assure everyone that the TON community remains strong and fully operational.
As a community committed to freedom of speech and decentralization, we stand firmly…
— TON ? (@ton_blockchain) August 24, 2024
“As a community committed to freedom of speech and decentralization, we firmly support Pavel in this challenging time. Pavel has been a dedicated advocate of these values, and we believe his efforts to promote an open and decentralized internet will continue to inspire millions,” the statement reads.
TON urged everyone to “remain calm and united” and thanked supporters.
Meanwhile, the Wallet team reported that Durov’s detention will not affect the operation of the Telegram wallet.
Journalist Tucker Carlson described Durov’s detention as a “live warning” for platform owners who refuse to censor truth at government requests.
Pavel Durov left Russia when the government tried to control his social media company, Telegram. But in the end, it wasn’t Putin who arrested him for allowing the public to exercise free speech. It was a western country, a Biden administration ally and enthusiastic NATO member,… https://t.co/F83E9GbNHC
— Tucker Carlson (@TuckerCarlson) August 24, 2024
“Pavel Durov left Russia when the government tried to control his Telegram. But in the end, it wasn’t Putin who arrested him for allowing the public to exercise free speech. It was a western country, a Biden administration ally and enthusiastic NATO member, who locked him up,” he wrote.
According to Carlson, clouds are quickly gathering over the once free world.
Following the news, Toncoin (TON) prices fell below $6. The asset lost 13.2% in the last 24 hours, according to CoinGecko.
The news of Durov’s detention also impacted Notcoin (NOT), which he supports. At the time of writing, the token is trading at $0.01, down 9.8% over the past day.
Back in April, Durov was first included in the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, ranking 279th out of 500 with a fortune of $9.15 billion.
In April, the billionaire stated in an interview with Carlson that he solely owns Telegram and keeps part of his savings in Bitcoin.
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