Thursday, August 29, 2024 - Telegram founder Pavel Durov was released from police custody in France on Wednesday, August 28 and transferred to court for questioning ahead of a possible indictment, French prosecutors have revealed, days after the Russian-born billionaire was arrested at a Paris airport.
Durov left the anti-fraud office outside Paris in what
appeared to be a police vehicle on Wednesday afternoon according to reports and
the Paris prosecutor’s office said he would now face “initial questioning and
possible indictment” at a court in the French capital.
Durov, 39, was detained at Paris’s Bourget Airport on
Saturday on a warrant related to Telegram’s lack of moderation. He was being
investigated on charges relating to a host of crimes, including allegations
that his platform was complicit in aiding fraudsters, drug traffickers and
people spreading child pornography.
Durov’s app, and its lack of content moderation, has also
come under scrutiny for its use by terrorist groups and far-right extremists.
He was placed in custody for up to 96 hours, the maximum
amount of time someone can be held under French law before being charged.
Durov’s arrest started a row over freedom of speech and
caused particular concerns in both Ukraine and Russia, where Telegram is
extremely popular and has become a key communication tool among military
personnel and citizens during Moscow’s war on its neighbour.
French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday said the decision
to bring charges against Durov was “in no way political,” a rare intervention
by a French leader into a judicial matter.
Telegram was launched in 2013 by Durov and his brother,
Nikolai. The app now has more than 950 million users, according to a post from
Durov last month, making it one of the most widely used messaging platforms in
the world.
Conversations on the app are encrypted, meaning that law
enforcement agencies and Telegram itself can't see what users post.
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