French authorities detained Pavel Durov for up to 96 hours, extending it by 48 hours, over allegations of Telegram being used for serious crimes like child abuse, drug deals, and fraud.
Reasons for Pavel Durov’s Arrest
For what reason? French authorities have been investigating several severe allegations against Telegram, including the possibility that its users are using the platform for illicit activities such as child sexual abuse material, drug deals, fraud, and organized crime, without the necessary moderation.
The police in France are authorized to detain an individual for a maximum of 96 hours, and this is precisely what they did with Pavel. They even extended the deadline by 48 hours on August 26 to determine whether to prosecute him or release him.
They were truly exploiting the clock on this one. In the interim, French President Emmanuel Macron was occupied with the task of extinguishing flames. He maintained that the detention was not motivated by a political vendetta, but rather by an independent legal process.
Macron was particularly concerned with underscoringThe primary objective was to underscore France’s dedication to the protection of freedom of speech, provided that it is conducted within the confines of the law. He intended to emphasize that the purpose of this was not to pursue Pavel personally or to undermine Telegram.
However, this is not universally accepted. Vitalik Buterin, Elon Musk, and John Deaton have all condemned him for it.
Pavel was not favored by Telegram’s history of not extending itself to cooperate with authorities. Some individuals are even questioning whether this is the initial phase of a more extensive assault on platforms such as Telegram that defy the established norms.
Pavel is now on his way to court in Paris, having been released from prison. The primary inquiry is whether prosecutors will file charges against him or allow him to evade them.
Concurrently, the Telegram team stated in their official statement that they have been adhering to EU laws and contributing to the moderation of content.
