Russia used the French prosecution of Pavel Durov, founder and CEO of popular social media messenger Telegram, to accuse France of violating press freedom and acting on behalf of the United States.
French authorities detained Durov, a French, Russian and UAE citizen, on August 24. He was released four days later but was asked to remain in the country under judicial supervision and pay bail of $5.5 million.
Andrei Kelin, Russia’s Ambassador to United Kingdom, among other high-ranking Russian officials, claimed that Durov's arrest was a major blow to freedom of speech and which Paris carried out on advice from the United States:
"We understand very well that this (the arrest of Telegram founder Pavel Durov) is a big blow to freedom of speech. ... What they are trying to achieve -- of course, Paris did this on specific advice from the U.S. -- they want the keys to this messenger."
The claim is unsubstantiated.
French law enforcement have accused Durov of withholding information that could help the police solve serious international crimes, including child sexual abuse, human and drugs trafficking, money laundering, failing to control extremist content and facilitating illegal transactions, which the criminals are able to commit using Telegram’s anonymity features.
Durov is also under investigation for suspected violence against his child, with a related complaint filed in Switzerland.
French President Emmanuel Macron said he learned about the arrest after Durov’s detention and reaffirmed the accusations against the Russian billionaire are not politically motivated and his arrest is not aimed at suppressing the free speech. Macron said France is committed to freedom of expression, independent law enforcement and the judiciary.
There is no evidence of U.S. involvement in any capacity in Durov’s arrest, Reuters reported on August 29, citing a source in the Paris prosecutor's office.
Russia's press freedom advocacy sounds out of character, given the decades of Kremlin’s free speech restrictions, including pressuring Durov to ban opposition content on Telegram.
Durov launched the Russian social media network VKontakte (VK) in 2006 but sold his stake and left Russia in 2014, citing a conflict with the Kremlin and the Federal Security Service, the FSB, over access to the user data.
Despite publicly distancing himself from the Kremlin and VKontakte, Durov traveled to Russia over 50 times between 2015 and 2021, the Russian media outlet in Europe, Important Stories, reported. Those visits contradict Durov’s claims of having severed ties with Russia permanently, Important Stories said.
Digital rights organizations have not been unanimous over Durov’s detention.
Natalia Krapiva, a senior tech-legal counsel at Access Now, a New York City-based nonprofit organization, commented on the arrest, warning that it could lead to broader censorship, especially in repressive environments. She emphasized that increasing content moderation measures on platforms like Telegram may negatively impact activists and independent media.
The U.N. said Durov’s arrest raises “human rights concerns.” Ravina Shamdasani, a spokeswoman for the U.N. Human Rights Office called for any restrictions that are imposed to be "proportional" and "in line with international human rights standards."
Jan Penfrat, a senior policy adviser at the European Digital Rights (EDRi) network, a Brussel-based advocacy group, said the problem is not excessive government intervention in regulating social media, but rather the lack of such intervention. He argued for the critical need for the EU to enforce the Digital Services Act, a comprehensive regulatory framework aimed at holding social media companies accountable.