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French authorities handed Telegram CEO Pavel Durov preliminary charges Wednesday, August 28, for allowing alleged criminal activity on his messaging app, and barred him from leaving France pending further investigation.
Durov, 39, was charged on several counts of failing to curb extremist and illegal content on the popular messaging app following a hearing with investigating magistrates in Paris. Judges filed the preliminary charges Wedensday night and ordered him to pay €5 million bail and to report to a police station twice a week.
The charges concern alleged crimes involving an organized group including "complicity in the administration of an online platform to enable an illicit transaction".
Durov has also been charged with refusing to share documents demanded by authorities as well as "dissemination in an organised group of images of minors in child pornography" as well as drug trafficking, fraud and money laundering.
His lawyer David-Olivier Kaminski said it was "absurd" to suggest Durov could be implicated in any crime committed on the app, adding: "Telegram complies in all respects with European rules concerning digital technology."
Separately, Durov is also being investigated on suspicion of "serious acts of violence" towards one of his children while he and an ex-partner, the boy's mother, were in Paris, a source said. She also filed another complaint against Durov in Switzerland last year.
'Not a political move'
French President Emmanuel Macron said Monday that Durov's arrest wasn't a political move but part of an independent investigation. Macron posted on X that his country "is deeply committed" to freedom of expression but "freedoms are upheld within a legal framework, both on social media and in real life, to protect citizens and respect their fundamental rights."
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In a statement posted on its platform after Durov's arrest, Telegram said it abides by EU laws, and its moderation is "within industry standards and constantly improving." "It is absurd to claim that a platform or its owner are responsible for abuse of that platform," Telegram's post said. "Almost a billion users globally use Telegram as means of communication and as a source of vital information. We're awaiting a prompt resolution of this situation. Telegram is with you all."
In addition to Russia and France, Durov is also a citizen of the United Arab Emirates and the Caribbean island nation of St. Kitts and Nevis.
The UAE Foreign Ministry said Tuesday that it was "closely following the case" and had asked France to provide Durov "with all the necessary consular services in an urgent manner."
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said he hoped that Durov "has all the necessary opportunities for his legal defense" and added that Moscow stands "ready to provide all necessary assistance and support" to the Telegram CEO as a Russian citizen. "But the situation is complicated by the fact that he is also a citizen of France," Peskov said.
Telegram was founded by Durov and his brother after he himself faced pressure from Russian authorities. In 2013, he sold his stake in VKontakte, a popular Russian social networking site which he launched in 2006. The company came under pressure during the Russian government's crackdown following mass pro-democracy protests that rocked Moscow at the end of 2011 and 2012.
Le Monde with AP and AFP