Macron says arrest of Telegram CEO not a political matter

Pavel Durov

French President Emmanuel Macron said the arrest of Russian-born Telegram CEO Pavel Durov was part of an ongoing judicial investigation and not a political move, as the French action sparked heated debate over freedom of speech and protests from Russia.

The first official French confirmation came on Monday, two days after the 39-year-old Durov was arrested on Saturday evening after his private jet landed at Paris-Le Bourget airport.

French authorities extended Durov’s detention on Sunday after they said he failed to take action against crimes including fraud, sexual exploitation, crimes against minors, drug trafficking, organized crime and the promotion of terrorism via the messaging platform Telegram, French media reported.

The billionaire, who holds multiple nationalities including French, Russian and the United Arab Emirates, can be held for questioning for up to 96 hours, after which a judge can decide to charge him or release him.

Telegram said in a statement on Sunday that the CEO “has nothing to hide and travels regularly around Europe.”

It said Telegram “adheres to EU laws, including the Digital Services Act, or DSA — its moderation falls within industry standards and is constantly being improved.” The DSA is a regulation adopted in the European Union in 2022 to tackle illegal content, transparent advertising, and disinformation.

“It is absurd to claim that a platform or its owner is responsible for the misuse of that platform,” the statement said.

Durov supported

Russia has come to Durov’s defense, criticizing France for its double standards on free speech and saying Durov should be given his rights. The Russian embassy in Paris said it had demanded access to Durov, but “the French side refuses to cooperate.”

Telegram is popular among Russian speakers.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on her personal Telegram account that 26 NGOs “condemned the Russian court’s decision to block Telegram” in 2018.

“Do you think this time they will appeal to Paris and demand Durov’s release?” she asked.

Macron, who is facing domestic political chaos after his party’s defeat in parliamentary elections in July, said France was “very attached to freedom of expression and communication” but that such freedoms “are upheld within a legal framework, both on social media and in real life”.

Macron has been a Telegram user since the early days of his presidential campaign in 2017. The encrypted messaging app is popular among his supporters.

The European Commission has distanced itself from the case. A spokesperson told media on Monday that Durov’s arrest on suspicion of allowing criminal activity on his platform has nothing to do with Telegram’s obligations under the DSA.

Telegram has more than 900 million active monthly users globally, but its February claim of an average of 41 million monthly users in the EU means it has yet to cross the 45 million threshold for a Very Large Online Platform under the DSA and is subject to the strictest transparency rules.

Ron Paul, former U.S. congressman for Texas, said Monday that the arrest was “a huge blow to free speech worldwide.”

Agencies contributed to this story.

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