In March, the French judiciary quietly issued arrest warrants against Pavel Durov, CEO of Telegram, and his brother Nikolai, co-founder of the messaging platform, as exclusively reported by Politico. This revelation sheds light on a much broader undercover investigation conducted by the Paris prosecutor’s office’s cybercrime division.
The case centers on Telegram’s refusal to cooperate with French authorities in an investigation into sexual abuse of minors. The platform allegedly did not comply with a judicial request to identify a user involved in the distribution of child pornography. This lack of cooperation, deemed unacceptable by the authorities, led to the issuance of warrants for « complicity in possession, distribution, offering, or making available child pornographic images in an organized group. »
The situation escalated dramatically when Pavel Durov was arrested on Saturday evening at Le Bourget airport in Paris, upon his arrival from Azerbaijan. His arrest immediately sparked a diplomatic storm, criticism over freedom of expression, and a sharp drop in Toncoin, the cryptocurrency developed by the Durov brothers, which lost about 20% of its value within hours.
The Kremlin, already in a tense relationship with Durov, quickly responded, warning France of the need for solid evidence against the Telegram founder. French President Emmanuel Macron insisted that the government was not directly involved in the arrest, while Russia and the United Arab Emirates, where Durov usually resides, requested consular access. Notably, Durov reportedly declined assistance from the UAE.
The Paris prosecutor’s office confirmed to Politico that the investigation is ongoing and that Pavel Durov remains in custody, with his interrogation extended to the maximum duration of 96 hours, until Wednesday. At the end of this period, Durov could be formally charged or released. Durov’s lawyer declined to comment on the ongoing investigation.
The case has also sparked international reactions, particularly from freedom of expression advocates like Elon Musk, who shares the content moderation ideals championed by Telegram.
This case is being closely watched by many observers as Telegram, used by nearly a billion users, continues to refuse to comply with local laws on freedom of expression and user data disclosure. The future of this company, long seen as a bastion of digital freedom, is now uncertain as its founder faces serious charges in France.
