Pavel Durov, founder of the messaging application Telegram, provided an update regarding his ongoing case in France, and said the criminal investigation against him is “struggling” to find any evidence of wrongdoing.
Durov said his arrest by French authorities in August 2024 was “unprecedented” and added that holding a tech executive accountable for the actions of independent users was “legally and logically absurd,” in a Telegram post on Sunday. Durov added:
“A year later, the ‘criminal investigation’ against me is still struggling to find anything that I or Telegram did wrong. Our moderation practices align with industry standards, and Telegram has always responded to every legally binding request from France.”
“One year after this strange arrest, I still have to return to France every 14 days, with no appeal date in sight,” he continued, while also warning that the French government has done irreparable damage to France’s image as a free country.
The arrest of Durov sparked widespread condemnation from the crypto community, human rights groups, and free speech activists, who accused the French government of arresting the Telegram founder to pressure him into censoring the platform.
Related: One year since Durov’s arrest: What’s happened and what’s ahead?
Pavel Durov’s arrest creates massive backlash against the French government
Durov was charged and initially barred from leaving France in connection with a probe into the Telegram platform’s content moderation policies, with French law enforcement officials accusing the platform of hosting harmful content.
French President Emmanuel Macron denied the arrest was politically motivated, triggering a torrent of censorship accusations and criticism from the crypto community.
“In a state governed by the rule of law, freedoms are upheld within a legal framework, both on social media and in real life, to protect citizens and respect their fundamental rights,” Macron wrote in a translated August 26 X post.
Mert Mumtaz, CEO of node provider Helius, responded to Macron by asking: “Why aren’t you personally in jail for not controlling 100% of all crime in France?”
Durov has repeatedly said that Telegram complies with all legal law enforcement requests and maintains that the company will exit a jurisdiction before succumbing to censorship pressures.
The Telegram platform will not compromise user privacy by handing over encryption keys or building backdoors into the messaging application, Durov said.
Magazine: Did Telegram’s Pavel Durov commit a crime? Crypto lawyers weigh in