CEO and billionaire Pavel Durov of Telegram, who was detained at a Paris airport on suspicion of crimes relating to his well-known messaging app, is scheduled to appear in court on Sunday, according to AFP sources.
After the French-Russian billionaire, 39, was apprehended on Saturday night at Le Bourget airport, Russia has accused France of “refusing to cooperate.”
A source knowledgeable of the case stated that Durov had travelled from Baku, Azerbaijan.
An insider revealed that Durov was the subject of an arrest warrant issued by France’s OFMIN, an office entrusted with preventing violence against minors, as part of an initial probe into charges involving fraud, drug trafficking, cyberbullying, organised crime, and propaganda of terrorism.
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Durov is accused of not doing enough to stop illegal activity on his platform.
A detective, taken aback when Durov took a plane to Paris while being aware that he was wanted, declared, “Enough of Telegram’s impunity.”
In support of Durov after his detention, paper planes—a reference to the Telegram messaging app’s logo—have been positioned throughout Moscow.
France refused to cooperate with Russia
Russian officials said they requested access to Durov but received no answer from France.
“We urged that his rights be upheld and that he be provided access to consular services, and we promptly asked the French authorities to explain the circumstances behind this imprisonment.
“The French side is refusing to cooperate on this question up to this point.” Russia’s embassy in Paris stated in a statement by the news agency Ria Novosti.
Elon Musk and Robert F. Kennedy react
Entrepreneur Elon Musk, the owner of the social media network X, wrote in French, “Liberte Liberte! Liberte?” (“Freedom, Freedom, Freedom”?), along with the hashtag #FreePavel.
“The need to protect free speech has never been more urgent,” stated Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a former US presidential candidate, on X.
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Netizens demand for Durov’s freedom
Since Pavel Durov’s arrest, the campaign for the release of the Telegram CEO has been gathering momentum with the #FreeDurov. As of the time of writing this report, it is the number one threading hashtag globally.
An X user named Kyle Chassé wrote, “We live in a world where we supposedly have freedom of speech and privacy. Then why did they arrest Telegram’s founder?”
They want us controlled. They want us silenced. They want us to live according to their narrative. #FREEDUROV”
“You can’t enslave what you can’t control. This is why the government hates Decentralization… #FREEDUROV”, according to Lord Drey
A parody X account of Pavel Durov wrote, “They can’t stop Telegram, They can’t stop $TON $NOT $DOGS, They can’t stop us. Imagine all the farmers on Telegram supporting the #FREEDUROV movement. They’ll be surprised where Durov got all these millions of supporters from. #FREEDUROV”
Luka Grunt tweeted, “Our freedom of speech is under attack ‼️
Now more than ever, we must protect our right to free expression and privacy. Stand with #FREEDUROV and fight for a future where our voices remain free.”
“Restore Freedom of Speech, Stand Against Censorship. #FREEDUROV #FreePavelDurov ✊”, according to @Open4profit
The latest development reported that the French authorities prolonged Pavel Durov’s detention by 96 hours.