Telegram's CEO accuses France of 'absurd' arrest

Pavel Durov, CEO of Telegram, has criticized his arrest by French police last year as 'absurd both legally and logically.' He stated that this has severely harmed France's image as a free country.

Incident developments

A year ago, #PavelDurov was arrested at Le Bourget airport near Paris on charges related to criminal activities on the Telegram platform, including distributing child abuse content, drug trafficking, and organized fraud. He was detained for 4 days and had to post a 5 million Euro bail.

Although the investigation has not concluded whether he or his platform has committed any wrongdoing, Durov still has to report to French authorities every 14 days without a specific trial date.

Durov's and experts' perspectives

Durov asserts that #Telegram has always cooperated with legitimate requests from France and that their censorship methods comply with industry standards. He believes that the arrest of a platform's CEO for user behavior is a concerning precedent.

Several experts and influential figures like Elon Musk and Edward Snowden have also voiced support for Durov. They argue that this incident reflects the tension between traditional legal frameworks and the core principles of Web3, such as personal autonomy. This case has also sparked a global debate about the balance between innovation and legal oversight in the digital ecosystem. #anh_ba_cong