PARIS (AP) — French prosecutors on Wednesday released Telegram CEO Pavel Durov from police custody after four days of questioning on charges that the messaging app was being used for illegal activities.
Durov was arrested on Saturday at Le Bourget airport outside Paris as part of a judicial investigation launched last month into 12 suspected crimes.
“An investigating judge has lifted Pavel Durov’s police detention and will bring him before the court for a first hearing and possible indictment,” the Paris prosecutor’s office said in a statement.
The allegations against Russian-born Durov, who is also a French citizen, include that his platform was being used to spread material about child sexual abuse and drug trafficking, as well as for fraud and aiding organized crime, and that Telegram refused to disclose information or documents to investigators despite being required to do so 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 when it comes to freedom of expression. The outcry has caused consternation among Kremlin critics, as the Russian authorities themselves tried to block the Telegram app in 2018, but failed and lifted the ban in 2020.
In Iran, where Telegram is widely used despite its official ban following years of protests against the country’s Shiite theocracy, Durov’s arrest in France sparked comments from the Islamic Republic’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who praised France for taking “strict action” against those who “violate your control” of the internet.
French President Emmanuel Macron said on 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 “freedoms are maintained within a legal framework, both on social media and in real life, to protect citizens and respect their fundamental rights.”
A statement posted on the platform after Durov’s arrest said the company complies with EU laws and its moderation “meets industry standards and is constantly improving.”
“It is absurd to claim that a platform or its owner is responsible for the misuse of that platform,” Telegram’s post said. “Nearly a billion users around the world use Telegram as a means of communication and as a source of important information. We await a swift resolution of this situation. Telegram is with you all.”
In addition to Russian and French citizenship, Durov also holds citizenship of the United Arab Emirates and the Caribbean island state of St. Kitts and Nevis.
The United Arab Emirates Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday that it was “closely following the case” and had asked France to “urgently provide Durov with all necessary consular services.”
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov expressed his hope that Durov “will be given all the necessary opportunities for his legal defense” and added that Moscow was “ready to provide the Telegram CEO, as a Russian citizen, with all the necessary help and support.”
“However, the situation is complicated by the fact that he is also a French citizen,” Peskov said.
Telegram, which claims to have nearly a billion users worldwide, was founded by Durov and his brother after he himself faced pressure from Russian authorities.
In 2013, he sold his stake in VKontakte, a popular Russian social network he founded in 2006.
The company came under pressure during the Russian government’s crackdown on mass pro-democracy protests that rocked Moscow in late 2011 and 2012.
Durov said authorities had ordered the website to close online communities of Russian opposition activists and later to hand over the personal data of users who took part in the 2013-2014 popular uprising in Ukraine that ultimately led to the overthrow of a pro-Kremlin president.
Durov said in a recent interview that he rejected these demands and left the country.
The demonstrations prompted Russian authorities to restrict digital space. Telegram and its privacy-friendly rhetoric offered Russians a convenient way to communicate and exchange messages.
Telegram also remains a popular news source in Ukraine, where it is used by media and authorities to exchange information about the war and to transmit warnings about rocket and air strikes.
Western governments often criticize Telegram for its lack of content moderation. Experts say this could potentially open the messaging app to abuse for money laundering, drug trafficking and the distribution of material related to the sexual exploitation of minors.
In 2022, Germany imposed $5 million in fines on Telegram’s operators for failing to create a legal way to report illegal content or designate an entity in Germany that could receive official notices, both of which are required under German laws regulating large online platforms.
