As the Maillochon and other French journalists reported, prosecutors have secretly examined Durova for months due to the alleged lack of blocking illegal activity by Telegram, organized crime, organized crime, organized crime, organized crime, organized crime, crime and terrorism – on the platform. The French gendarmerie herself counted 2460 cases in the years 2013–2024, in which legal applications submitted to the telegram did not answer, in accordance with Libération. Mayis de Rock, a spokeswoman for the prosecutor’s office, told Wired that when her team realized how many investigations in various departments were complex by the lack of a telegram response, they decided to issue an arrest warrant. As they saw it, Durova’s silence was participation.
Immediately after the arrest, nobody from the telegram commented publicly. One of the close associates of Durova, George Lobushkin – former head of PR in Vkontakte – connected: “I am shocked and all loved ones Pavel feel the same. Nobody was prepared for this situation. ” Lobushkin added that he was worried about “a lot” about the future of Telegram if Durov remained in custody.
In the US, one of the first to arrest was Tucker Carlson, a right -wing television host. In the post on X Carlson, he called Durova “a living warning for every owner of the platform who refuses to censor the truth on the order of the rule and Intel agency.” Elon Musk published a clip from Carlson’s intelligence and signed it “#freepave”. Even Edward Snowden, a harsh critic of Telegram security claims, expressed the alarm. “I am surprised and deeply saddened that Macron went down to the level of hostages as a means to gain access to private communication,” wrote X. Macron, issued a statement that France “is deeply involved in freedom of expression”, adding arrest: ” It is in no way a political decision. Judges should be ruled in this matter. “
On Sunday evening after the arrest of Durov, his care was extended to the 96-hour limit. According to the sources of the Maillochon, he slept in a tight cell, although investigators had a uncommon license to allow Durov to have a fresh set of clothes. During further interrogation, Durov reportedly claimed that he did not respond to the request to remove law enforcement agencies; The police simply sent their requests to the wrong place. (Durov made a similar claim in 2022, when Brazil’s Supreme Court temporarily banned the telegram, basically stating that legal applications are lost by the court.
On August 28, almost four days after his arrest, Durov was formally accused of six charges. The most solemn – complicity in administering an internet platform enabling organized crime and illegal transactions – set a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, as well as a fine of EUR 500,000 (USD 521,000). After establishing a deposit at EUR 5 million ($ 5.2 million) and quickly paid, Durov was released that night, but forbidden to leave the country. He was also ordered to report at the police station twice a week.
The case against Durov, the CEO of a huge mainstream platform, was unheard of. And it came when his professed libertarian ideals and Laissez-Faire Haition seemed to be an ascendant to moderate the content. The compact size of the Durova syndrome inspired the musk to be released 80 percent of Twitter staff when he took it, according to Signs limitKate Conger and Ryan Mac book. Musk spotted moderation and trust and security teams. If Durov could run the platform with about 60 full -time employees, most of them in Dubai, why not try something similar? Recently, Mark Zuckerberg has released the meta checking facts in the US and loosened the enforcement of regulations against inflammatory content on the company’s platforms. “Last elections,” said Zuckerberg, were “a cultural crisis towards the priority of speech again.”