The Kremlin also weighed in on a case that has further strained Russia’s relations with France, saying the prosecution of the Russian-born tech chief, who is accused of allowing illicit content to run on a platform used by nearly a billion people, should not turn into “political persecution.”
A French judge placed Durov under formal investigation on Wednesday, four days after police arrested him at Le Bourget airport near Paris, fueling debate over where freedom of speech ends and the application of the law begins.
Lawyer David-Olivier Kaminski, who represents Durov in France, said it was “absurd to say that a platform or its boss is responsible for any abuse” carried out on the platform, and that Telegram was complying with European laws.
The French judge said Wednesday that Durov was suspected of complicity in running an online platform that allows illicit transactions, child sexual abuse images and drug trafficking.
Durov, 39, is also under investigation for alleged money laundering and refusing to cooperate with law enforcement. The platform said this week that Durov had “nothing to hide.”
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The case against Durov, which highlights the rocky relationship between governments and social media giants, can be seen as a warning to tech giants on how to deal with alleged illegality in their apps. Durov’s arrest is the first of a CEO of a major messaging platform. But with tensions between governments and social media giants growing, it is not the first time Telegram has had a run-in with police and judicial authorities.
In 2023, a Brazilian court ordered the app to be temporarily suspended until it complies with an order to share information about extremist and neo-Nazi groups using the platform.
A French police source said this week that Telegram was seen as much less willing to cooperate with authorities than other social networks. But others are also facing criticism from authorities.
Brazilian Supreme Court Judge Alexandre de Moraes on Wednesday ordered billionaire Elon Musk to appoint a legal representative for his messaging platform X in Brazil within 24 hours or face suspension of the site in the country.
Musk, the billionaire owner of X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, had said after reports of Durov’s arrest: “It’s the year 2030 in Europe and you’re being executed for liking a meme.”
Meta Platforms CEO Mark Zuckerberg also said this week that President Joe Biden’s administration had pressured the company to “censor” COVID-19 content during the pandemic, apparently referring to White House requests to remove misinformation about the coronavirus and vaccines.
Tensions between France and Russia
In France, being placed under formal investigation does not imply guilt or necessarily lead to a trial, but it does indicate that judges believe there is sufficient evidence to proceed with the investigation. Investigations can last for years before being sent to trial or shelved.
Durov, who spent four days in police custody after his arrest, was granted bail on condition that he pay 5 million euros ($5.6 million) and not leave French territory.
He will also have to report twice a week to the police station in the town where he will be staying and must be at home at certain times, according to a judicial source, without specifying where he will live or how many hours a day he will have to be there.
Durov has French, United Arab Emirates and Russian citizenship. His arrest and the accusations against him have brought relations between France and Russia to a new low, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Tuesday.
“The main thing is that what is happening in France does not turn into political persecution,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Thursday.
“We know that the French president has denied any political links, but on the other hand, certain accusations are being made. We will see what happens next.”
French President Emmanuel Macron, an avid Telegram user, said Durov’s arrest was “in no way a political decision” and that the investigation had been decided by judicial authorities, not the government.
Macron had lunch with Durov in 2018 as part of a series of meetings with tech entrepreneurs, a source close to the president said, and Durov was granted French citizenship in 2021 under a rare procedure for high-profile individuals.
The UAE is in contact with French authorities and representatives of Durov, a UAE government official said.
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