📱 Pavel Durov on His Arrest One Year Later: “All France Got Was Damage to Its Image as a Free Country”

[cryptobro]

Exactly one year after his arrest in Paris, Telegram founder Pavel Durov broke his silence on the ongoing case — calling it “unprecedented and absurd from both a legal and logical perspective.”

The Background

August 24, 2024: Durov was detained at a Paris airport and held for four days.

Reason? Criminals allegedly used Telegram to organize illegal activities — even though Durov had no connection to them.

Despite being released under judicial supervision on August 28, he still faces preliminary charges ranging from refusal to hand over user data to money laundering.

Durov’s Statement

France has still not set a date for appeal.

He must check in with authorities every two weeks.

Quote:

“A year later, there is still a ‘criminal investigation’ against me, but investigators have found no evidence of wrongdoing by me or by Telegram. Our moderation standards match industry norms, and we complied with all legally binding requests.”

He claims his arrest was the result of a police error:

“Until August 2024, French police ignored EU laws and legal procedures for submitting requests. The rules could have been Googled or simply asked about.”

The Reactions

French media accused Telegram of weak moderation and non-cooperation.

Conspiracy theories even surfaced, with WSJ speculating Durov could be of “value” to Western intelligence.

Telegram insisted it complies with EU law and even set up a direct channel for French intelligence, reportedly helping prevent several terror attacks.

Industry Voices in His Defense:

Elon Musk: called the case “a compelling ad for the First Amendment.”

Oleg Tinkov: “Durov’s utopian ideas should not cost him his freedom.”

Vitalik Buterin (Ethereum): warned that jailing someone over moderation practices “is alarming for the future of software and communication freedom in Europe.”

Paul Graham (Y Combinator): “Hard to imagine a country that arrests the founder of Telegram and still remains a startup hub.”

Current Status

June 2025: Durov won partial relief — he can now travel to Dubai for up to 14 days at a time.

As Reuters noted, being placed under formal investigation in France doesn’t mean guilt. Cases can drag on for years and may be reclassified.

Big Picture

Durov argues that his arrest damaged France’s reputation as a free country without producing any results. The clash highlights a growing tension in Europe: state demands for tighter online control vs. the principle of communication freedom.

[Nahid10]

This case really exposes the clash between free expression and state control in Europe. If platforms like Telegram are held liable for every misuse by criminals, then no communication tool is safe — by that logic, you could arrest Tim Berners-Lee for websites or Jack Dorsey for Twitter trolls. Durov’s point about French police ignoring proper EU request channels is critical; if they didn’t follow the legal framework, then the entire basis of this prosecution looks shaky. It’s less about Durov himself and more about whether Europe wants to build an innovation hub or scare away every founder with criminal liability risk.