Telegram director criticizes France’s ‘unprecedented’ case against him
(MENAFN) Telegram CEO Pavel Durov has condemned the criminal charges brought against him by French authorities, describing the case as unfair and without merit. In a recent interview with journalist Tucker Carlson, Durov said he’s being wrongly targeted for actions allegedly committed by users of the Telegram platform.
Durov, who currently resides in Dubai, was arrested in France in August 2024 on charges of complicity in crimes including extremism and child exploitation, stemming from Telegram user activity. Although he was released on a €5 million ($5.46 million) bail and later allowed to return to the UAE, a request to travel to the U.S. was denied, and he remains under legal restrictions.
Expressing confusion over the charges, Durov claimed French officials initially accused him of failing to comply with legal data requests, which he insists is untrue. He said Telegram has always responded to binding legal requests and criticized the French legal system’s broad definition of complicity. His lawyers have labeled the case as “unprecedented.”
Highlighting the disproportionate nature of the prosecution, Durov noted that smaller messaging apps with far fewer users haven't faced similar scrutiny. He emphasized that with over a billion users, Telegram cannot be held accountable for the individual actions of its users—comparing the case to holding a president responsible for crimes committed by a citizen.
Following his arrest, Telegram updated its privacy policy to retain user metadata for up to a year, which can be shared with authorities if users are suspected of illegal activity.
Durov also criticized EU censorship after major Russian media channels were blocked on Telegram across the bloc, arguing that the EU now imposes more media restrictions than Russia.
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the
information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept
any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images,
videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information
contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright
issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.
Legal Disclaimer:
EIN Presswire provides this news content "as is" without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.
