Pavel Durov Slams French Handling of Telegram Case, Citing Damage to France’s Image

It has been a full year since the arrest of Pavel Durov, the founder of Telegram, but the case with French authorities remains unresolved. In a post on his Telegram and X accounts, Durov said investigators are still trying to establish wrongdoing by him or his company, but no evidence has been found. He expressed frustration over the length of the process.

Durov Rejects Responsibility for Telegram Users’ Actions

Durov was detained by French police for four days at the time of his arrest last year. On August 24, he said the detention was unjust, as it was linked to crimes carried out by individuals who used Telegram, even though he had no connection to them.

He argued that it is unreasonable to hold a platform’s chief executive accountable for actions committed by unrelated users, noting that such responsibility has neither legal nor logical basis.

Durov said that, so far, the only result of his arrest has been serious damage to France’s image as a free country.

One year after this strange arrest, I still have to return to France every 14 days, with no appeal date in sight. Sadly, the only outcome of my arrest so far has been massive damage to France’s image as a free country.

Pavel Durov

How Telegram Handles Harmful Material

The French investigation focused on Telegram’s content moderation practices. Authorities charged Durov and, at the start of the investigation, prevented him from leaving France while they examined how the platform handled harmful material. Law enforcement accused Telegram of hosting damaging content and failing to address it adequately.

Durov responded last year by stressing that the company does remove such material. In a defense statement released in September 2024, he outlined Telegram’s actions, noting that millions of harmful posts and channels are taken down daily.

He explained that the platform also publishes daily transparency reports to show what has been removed. To further support moderation, he said Telegram maintains direct hotlines with non-governmental organizations, allowing urgent requests to be handled quickly.

In his latest update on the case, Durov emphasized that Telegram has complied with every legally binding request from France. He maintained that the company’s moderation practices are consistent with industry standards.

Official Reaction and Platform Defense

French President Emmanuel Macron commented on the case shortly after Durov’s arrest. Macron maintained that the arrest was not political. He described it as a matter of law and public safety. His remarks, however, drew criticism, with some accusing France of censorship and of undermining digital freedoms.

Meanwhile, Durov accused the French authorities of mishandling the case. He said that before August 2024, they had ignored both French and European Union procedures for contacting Telegram and had failed to submit their requests properly. He added that they could have learned the correct procedure with a simple online search or by asking.

The post also prompted a user to suggest that Telegram had given French authorities secret access to its systems. Durov firmly denied the claim, explaining that there is no backdoor in Telegram and that no third party can access private messages on the platform. He emphasized that such access would never be allowed.

Earlier, in June, Durov expressed his frustration with the arrest, saying he was still seeking answers and felt that French investigators seemed primarily focused on the basic operation of his platform rather than any wrongdoing.