Pavel Durov, CEO of Telegram, Released After Four Days of Interrogation but Cannot Leave France

The Paris Prosecutor's Office announced on Wednesday that Pavel Durov, CEO of Telegram, has been released after being charged, having posted a bail of 5 million euros and is under judicial supervision, but he is not allowed to leave France. The French judiciary released Pavel Durov, founder and CEO of the messaging platform Telegram, on Wednesday, September 7, after four days of interrogation, but emphasized that he would be summoned to court for a possible indictment. Pavel Durov was arrested on Saturday at an airport outside Paris as part of an investigation related to 12 charges of misuse of Telegram. The charges against Pavel Durov, a Russian-born citizen of France, include using Telegram for child sexual exploitation, drug trafficking, fraud, and encouraging transactions related to organized crime. This messaging platform refuses to provide information, documents, or user messages to police or security organizations based on its own regulations. Durov's arrest in France has provoked anger in Russia, with some officials describing it as a politically motivated action that reflects the West's double standards regarding freedom of expression. Moscow's protest has surprised Kremlin critics, as Russian officials attempted to block Telegram in 2018 but eventually backed down after failing to do so. In Iran, where this messaging platform is widely used by government protesters despite its official ban, Durov's arrest has drawn a reaction from the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic. Ali Khamenei praised France for its 'strictness' against those who undermine government laws through cyberspace. French President Emmanuel Macron stated on Monday that Durov's arrest is not a political act but part of an independent judicial investigation in the country. He wrote on his account on the social media platform 'X' that his country is 'deeply committed to freedom of expression,' but 'freedoms within a legal framework, both in social media and in real life, are observed to protect citizens and respect their fundamental rights.' Telegram, in a statement released on its platform after Durov's arrest, said it complies with EU laws, and its moderation 'is within industry standards and is continuously improving.' The Telegram post stated: 'The claim that a platform or its owner is responsible for abuses of that platform is baseless.' In addition to Russia and France, Pavel Durov is also a citizen of the United Arab Emirates and the Caribbean island nation of Saint Kitts and Nevis.