Telegram founder Pavel Durov commented on his arrest in Paris in August 2023. This was reported by Zamin.uz.
He called the situation strange and unfounded. According to Durov, although a year has passed since his arrest, he is still required to travel to France every two weeks.
According to him, this process has greatly damaged the country's reputation as a free state. Recalling the incident, Pavel Durov emphasized that he was held in custody for four days because he had not heard that some individuals used the Telegram platform to coordinate crimes.
In his opinion, it is legally and logically wrong for the head of a major social network to be punished for the actions of its users. During the one-year investigation, no violations of the law were found by Telegram or its leader.
Durov stressed that the platform's moderation rules fully comply with industry standards and meet all legal requirements of France. According to him, the Paris police arrested him to cover up their mistake, as they did not make a legal request to Telegram.
So far, Durov's appeal has not been reviewed by the court. According to him, the most regrettable aspect is that this arrest damaged France's image as a democratic state.
For reference, Pavel Durov was arrested on August 24, 2024, at Le Bourget Airport in Paris. He was accused of 12 criminal charges, including refusal to cooperate with officials and complicity in fraud.
According to the court decision, he could have been sentenced to up to 10 years in prison. In February 2025, Durov was released on bail of 5 million euros, with conditions not to leave France and to report to the police twice a week.
However, the case has been under court review for more than a year.
