Durov’s arrest is about Telegram as a Russian weapon, not about free speech

Following the arrest of Telegram founder Pavel Durov on August 24 at a Paris airport, the Kremlin is capitalizing on the idea that Western countries, “supposedly committed” to freedom of speech, have arrested someone they see as a champion of free speech.

Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev said the arrest of Pavel Durov was politically motivated, something Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said was “a direct attempt to restrict freedom of communication.”

Presidential human rights ombudsman Tatyana Moskalkova claimed that the reason for Durov’s arrest was to close Telegram, “a platform where you can find out the truth about what is happening in the world… everyone who strives for freedom of speech protests against this,” corresponding with Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova, who warned that France had “trampled on international norms in the field of protection of freedom of speech and expression for one reason only: because if they protect certain norms, they should not only comply with them, but also protect and fulfill them.”

“Relations between Moscow and Paris have deteriorated, partly because of the position Paris took on freedom of expression, freedom to disseminate information and the profession of journalist in general,” Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said.

As usual, Russian authorities were keen to argue that Washington was behind the planned takeover of Telegram.

Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin said the arrest was organized by the Americans, rather than the French, and said: “Telegram is one of the few… that the United States has no influence over. On the eve of the US presidential election, it is important for Biden to get Telegram under control.”

Russian propagandist Margarita Simonyan warned Russians to delete sensitive information before Durov handed over Telegram’s encryption to French authorities.

Curiously, Sergei Naryshkin, director of the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR), stated that Durov would most likely not allow the West to get its hands on the platform’s sensitive information. That could have been done to prevent the mass deletion of data from the platforms that Russian intelligence likely has access to.

Some in the West, sympathetic to the Kremlin narrative, jumped on the press freedom bandwagon when Elon Musk posted the hashtag #freePavel on his platform X.

Tucker Carlson, who interviewed Durov last April, just months after he interviewed President Vladimir Putin, countered X, saying Durov was in prison “for giving the public freedom of speech.”

Why would Russia use free speech as a weapon? Putin is not a soldier—he comes from a KGB background. He knows how to manipulate his enemies and exploit their vulnerabilities. The US and France are democracies with laws that cover free speech and expression—and while this is their great strength, it is also an opening for Putin to use Russia’s arsenal of information operations to further polarize their populations. Accusing France of undermining free speech is a message that resonates with French citizens, but also with Americans and others living in states with a similar structure.

While Russia is arming freedom of speech in the West, Putin said in September that Russian media is free. Putin conveniently omitted the fact that Russian authorities have blocked Western social media platforms.

It is important to remind Western champions of freedom of expression that information is a weapon for the Russian Defense Ministry. State interference in the media has been ongoing since 2012, when Russia tightened its control over the information space. In May 2019, Russia adopted a “sovereign internet law” designed to tighten control over internet infrastructure within the country and cut off the internet from the rest of the world.

The repression has only intensified since February 2022, as Russia wages its war of aggression in Ukraine. Russia immediately introduced war censorship laws that made protesting the war a crime punishable by prison time. Derogatory comments about the Russian military or spreading “false information” about the invasion are punishable by up to 15 years in prison.

Western advocates of freedom of speech should also be reminded that Durov’s arrest has little to do with freedom of speech – Telegram has been used as a propaganda tool for Russia for years. Moreover, Durov was being investigated for various alleged offences involving sexual abuse and exploitation of minors, alleged fraud, drug trafficking, organised crime and the promotion of terrorism.

While freedom of speech gives citizens of democratic countries around the world the ability to express their opinions, criticize their governments and officials, muse about the state of the economy, advertise their businesses, etc., it does not give anyone the right to spread violence or harm others through speech or expression.

Dr. Ivana Stradner is a research fellow at the Barish Center for Media Integrity at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. Jason Jay Smart, Ph.D., is a political consultant who has lived and worked in Ukraine, Moldova, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Russia, and Latin America. Twitter: @OfficeJJSmart

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