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Emmanuel Macron has hit back at accusations that the arrest of Telegram chief executive Pavel Durov in France is politically motivated, after the surprise move raised tensions with Moscow and escalated a global debate over free speech.
French prosecutors on Monday said they detained the Russian-born billionaire, who is now a French-Emirati citizen, as part of an investigation opened in July into the messaging app’s moderation of alleged criminal activity on the platform. This includes the spread of child sexual abuse material, drug trafficking, fraud and money laundering.
The French president also intervened on Monday after some Russian lawmakers claimed the arrest was made on political grounds, while the Russian embassy in France has said it had requested consular access to Durov.
“I have read false information here regarding France following the arrest of Pavel Durov,” Macron wrote on X on Monday. “The arrest of the Telegram president on French territory took place as part of an ongoing judicial investigation. This is in no way a political decision. It is up to the judges to decide.”
Dubbed the “Mark Zuckerberg of Russia” after co-founding its most popular social media network, VKontakte, Durov fled the country in 2014 after allegedly refusing to comply with Moscow’s demands for access to the data of Ukrainian users protesting against a pro-Russia administration.
His arrest marks the most drastic national action against a social media chief to date and is the latest battle between officials and regulators concerned with online safety and free speech advocates.
Earlier this month, technology billionaire Elon Musk clashed with UK leader Sir Keir Starmer and EU commissioner Thierry Breton after criticising the UK’s policing of the Southport riots and sharing misinformation and far-right content around the events, in a move that was perceived by critics as further fuelling the violence.
Over the weekend, Musk, a self-declared free speech absolutist, hit out at French authorities, posting the hashtag “#freepavel” on his platform.
The warrant for Durov’s arrest was issued by Ofmin, a French police agency set up in the last year focused on preventing violence against minors.
“At the heart of this issue is the lack of moderation and co-operation by the platform (which has nearly 1 billion users), particularly in the fight against child sex crimes,” Jean-Michel Bernigaud, the secretary-general of Ofmin, wrote on LinkedIn on Monday.
Ofmin is working on the preliminary probe in co-operation with the Paris prosecutors office and customs officials. Prosecutors also said on Monday the allegations included “refusal to hand over, at the request of competent authorities, information or documents”.
Durov was detained on Saturday night at Paris-Le Bourget airport after arriving on his private jet from Azerbaijan. On Sunday, the investigating magistrate extended his detention from 24 to up to 96 hours, during which time a magistrate will need to decide whether to bring charges.
Dubai-based Telegram has said its chief executive has “nothing to hide and travels frequently in Europe”, adding that its moderation was “within industry standards and constantly improving”.
The company also said it was abiding by EU laws including the Digital Services Act, a landmark law which came into force this year and requires platforms to police harmful content and disinformation more closely, or risk penalties or being restricted in the bloc.
“It is absurd to claim that a platform or its owner are responsible for abuse of that platform,” Telegram has said. “We’re awaiting a prompt resolution of this situation. Telegram is with you all.”
Founded in 2013, Telegram has exploded in popularity, nearing 1bn users and becoming one of the main communication tools in conflict zones and humanitarian crises such as the Russia-Ukraine war and the Israel-Hamas conflict.
Durov has taken a hands-off approach to moderation and cast the app as unassailable by governments. However, some researchers have warned that it has become a hub for illicit activity and extremism as a result.
In recent years, Durov has tried to distance himself and the app from Russia, amid claims by critics that the Kremlin might still have links to or leverage over Telegram.
“He thought his biggest problems were in Russia and left . . . he wanted to be a brilliant ‘citizen of the world’, living well without a homeland,” former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev, now a prominent rightwing commentator, wrote on his Telegram channel on Sunday.
“He miscalculated. To our common enemies, he is still Russian — unpredictable and dangerous, of different blood.”