Amid the controversy surrounding the indictment of Telegram CEO Pavel Durov for violations related to the messaging app, Russia warned France on August 29 against turning a criminal case into a “political persecution,” reported AFP.
Russia portrayed Durov’s surprise arrest in Paris earlier this week as politically motivated.
“The main thing is that what is happening in France does not result in political persecution,” AFP Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov was quoted as saying.
“Of course, we consider him a Russian citizen and will be ready to help him as far as possible. We will watch what happens next,” he added.
Pavel Durov was released after four days of interrogation in France, but was not allowed to leave the country. He was released on conditional release on bail of five million euros and on the condition that he report to the police twice a week.
Cases against Dhrov:
Russian-born Durov – who also holds French citizenship – has been charged in France with offenses related to the messaging app, including allowing child pornography and drug trafficking.
He was arrested by French police at Le Bourget airport outside Paris on August 24 and was also accused of refusing to cooperate with authorities in sharing information, money laundering and providing cryptographic services to criminals.
As part of the investigation against Durov, the police also filed preliminary charges.
The charges include “complicity in the management of an online platform that facilitates illegal transactions by an organized group.” The second charge involves suspicion of “serious acts of violence” against one of his children while he and a former partner, the boy’s mother, were in Paris, reported AP. Previously, his former partner had filed another complaint against Durov in Switzerland in 2023.
Reaction from Telegram:
“Telegram’s CEO Pavel Durov has nothing to hide and travels frequently throughout Europe. It is absurd to claim that a platform or its owner is responsible for the misuse of that platform,” the messaging app said in a post on X.
