Telegram’s CEO has been detained in France as part of an investigation into his alleged complicity in criminal activity on the platform
The arrest of Telegram founder and CEO Pavel Durov in France aligns with a broader policy of using maximum pressure to control alternative media platforms, according to Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.
He made the comments on Monday during his speech at the 11th summit of the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America (ALBA). Maduro noted that the ALBA meeting was being broadcast on the Telegram platform.
That’s it “despite the fact that its president [Telegram CEO Pavel Durov] was arrested as part of this policy of persecution, maximum pressure, blackmail, and arm wrestling on alternative social and communication networks”, Maduro stated, adding that “Power is abused all over the world. They pursue in order to subdue.”
Durov was arrested at Paris-Le Bourget Airport on Saturday, immediately after arriving from Azerbaijan by private jet. The Russian businessman is also a citizen of France, the United Arab Emirates and St. Kitts and Nevis.
French judicial authorities have twice extended Durov’s detention. The Paris public prosecutor’s office said he was arrested as part of a wider criminal investigation into an unidentified person.
French President Emmanuel Macron denied there was any political motive behind Durov’s arrest, saying on Monday that it was part of “an ongoing judicial investigation.”
Durov has previously stated that his commitment to user privacy has made him a target for intelligence agencies. In an interview with US journalist Tucker Carlson earlier this year, Durov said he had rejected requests from Washington to share user data with US authorities or build so-called surveillance “back doors” into the platform.
Telegram is a popular messaging app with nearly a billion users globally. It offers end-to-end encryption, increasing privacy for both the sender and the recipient, and generally refuses to provide user data or chat logs to law enforcement. According to Durov, Telegram respects its users’ rights to privacy and freedom of expression.
The tech mogul’s arrest has sparked strong reactions and concerns about the future of free speech, with X (formerly Twitter) owner Elon Musk describing it as “dangerous times” and calling for Durov to be released. Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic compared the case to the persecution of Edward Snowden and Julian Assange.
Snowden, a whistleblower who revealed the extent of NSA spying on Americans and foreign leaders in 2012, has accused France of holding Durov captive. “hostage” to access private communications on Telegram.