France’s Macron: Arrest of head of messaging app Telegram was not political

PARIS (AP) — French President Emmanuel Macron said Monday that the arrest in France of the CEO of the popular messaging app Telegram, Pavel Durov, was not a political move but part of an independent investigation.

Durov was arrested on Saturday at Le Bourget airport as part of a judicial investigation opened last month into 12 alleged offences, the Paris public prosecutor’s office said on Monday.

The statement said the suspected offences included complicity in the sale of child pornography and drug trafficking, fraud, complicity in organised crime transactions and refusing to share information or documents with investigators when required by law.

In France’s first public comment on the arrest, Macron posted on social media platform X that his country is “deeply committed” to freedom of expression, but that “freedoms are upheld within a legal framework, both on social media and in real life, to protect citizens and respect their fundamental rights.”

Macron condemned what he called false information and said the arrest “is in no way a political decision. It is up to the judges to judge this.”

Durov’s detention has been extended until Monday evening and could be extended until Wednesday evening before authorities must release or charge him, the prosecutor’s office said.

Durov is a citizen of Russia, France, the United Arab Emirates and the Caribbean island nation of St. Kitts and Nevis.

Russian officials have expressed outrage over his arrest, with some calling it politically motivated and evidence of the West’s double standards on free speech. The outrage has raised eyebrows among Kremlin critics: Russian authorities tried to block Telegram themselves in 2018, but failed, and lifted the ban in 2020.

Telegram, which claims to have nearly a billion users worldwide, was founded by Durov and his brother after he himself came under pressure from Russian authorities.

In 2013, he sold his stake in VKontakte, a popular Russian social networking site he launched in 2006.

The company came under pressure from Russian government action following the massive pro-democracy protests that rocked Moscow in late 2011 and 2012.

According to Durov, authorities demanded that the site disable online communities of Russian opposition activists and later hand over personal data of users who participated in the 2013 popular uprising in Ukraine that ultimately led to the ouster of a pro-Kremlin president.

Durov said in a recent interview that he had rejected these demands and left the country.

The protests prompted Russian authorities to clamp down on the digital world. Telegram and its pro-privacy rhetoric offered Russians a convenient way to communicate and share news.

Telegram is still a popular news source in Ukraine, too. Both media and officials use it to share information about the war and to issue warnings about missiles and airstrikes.

In a statement posted on its platform after his arrest, Telegram said it complies with EU law and that its moderation “falls within industry standards and is continuously improving.”

“It is absurd to claim that a platform or its owner is responsible for the misuse of that platform,” Telegram’s message read. “Almost a billion users worldwide use Telegram as a means of communication and as a source of essential information. We are waiting for a quick resolution of this situation. Telegram is with you all.”

A French investigating judge extended Durov’s arrest warrant Sunday night, French media reported Monday. Under French law, Durov can remain in custody for questioning for up to four days, after which judges must decide whether to charge him or release him.

The Russian embassy in Paris said consular officials were denied access to Durov because French authorities consider his French nationality his primary nationality. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Monday: “We still don’t know what exactly Durov is accused of. … Let’s wait until the charges are announced – if they are announced.”

Elon Musk, the billionaire owner of X who has previously called himself a “freedom of speech absolutist,” posted “#freePavel” in support of Durov after the arrest.

Western governments have often criticized Telegram for its lack of content moderation, which experts say could lead to the messaging platform being used for money laundering, drug trafficking and sharing material related to the sexual exploitation of minors.

In 2022, Germany fined Telegram operators $5 million for failing to establish a legal way to report illegal content or name an entity in Germany to receive official communications, both of which are required under German laws regulating major online platforms.

Last year, Brazil temporarily suspended Telegram after it refused to release data on neo-Nazi activity in connection with a police investigation into school shootings in November.

___

Barbara Surk in Nice, France, and Daria Litvinova in Tallinn, Estonia contributed.