This Is An Accusation For Pavel Durov, Allegedly Involved In Child Pornography Cases And Drug Trafficking

Pavel Durov, founder of the Telegram messaging application who was born in Russia (photo; x @durov)

JAKARTA -- Pavel Durov, founder of the Telegram messaging application born in Russia, was arrested in France as part of a serious investigation into crimes. Starting from child pornography, drug trafficking, and fraudulent transactions on the platform. This was revealed by the French prosecutor on Monday, August 26.

French President Emmanuel Macron confirmed Durov's arrest for the first time since he was detained at Le Bourget Airport outside Paris on Saturday night, August 24. Macron confirmed that the arrests were not politically motivated, despite the many wrong comments circulating online. He also added that France remains committed to legal freedom of speech.

"The arrest of President Telegram in French territory was carried out as part of an ongoing judicial investigation," Macron wrote on platform X. "This is not at all a political decision. It's up to the judge to decide."

In a subsequent statement, Paris Prosecutor Laure Beccuau said that Durov was arrested as part of an investigation into an unnamed person launched by the prosecutor's office cybercrime unit on July 8.

The investigation includes alleged involvement in various crimes, including running an online platform that allows illegal transactions, child pornography, drug trafficking, and fraud, as well as refusing to provide information to authorities, money laundering, and providing cryptographic services to criminals.

"Durov can be detained as of Wednesday," the statement added.

Telegram, a popular messaging and social media app similar to WhatsApp, has nearly 1 billion users and is very influential in Russia, Ukraine, and former Soviet republics. Durov's arrest sparked criticism from X owner Elon Musk, who said that freedom of speech in Europe was under attack, as well as calls from Moscow for French authorities to grant Durov's rights.

Tensions between France and Russia have escalated over several months, in which French authorities accused Russia of trying to destabilize the country ahead of the Paris Olympics in response to its tougher stance on war in Ukraine, a claim Russia denies.

Durov, a 39-year-old billionaire nicknamed Russia's "Mark Zuckerberg," has dual French citizenship and the United Arab Emirates. The UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in its first comments, said in a statement that it had submitted a request to France "to provide all urgent necessary consular services."

Telegram did not provide details about the arrests, but said the Dubai-based company complies with EU law and moderation "according to industry standards and continues to rise."