Prosecutors say Telegram CEO released from custody and will appear in court

PARIS (AP) – French authorities have filed preliminary charges against Telegram CEO Pavel Durov on Wednesday for allowing suspected criminal activity through his messaging app and was banned from leaving France pending the outcome of the investigation.

Both free speech advocates and authoritarian governments have spoken in Durov’s defense since his arrest over the weekend. The case has also drawn attention to the challenges of policing illegal activity online, and to the country’s own unusual biography and multiple passports.

Durov was arrested on Saturday at Le Bourget airport outside Paris as part of a comprehensive Investigation was launched earlier this yearand was released early Wednesday after four days of questioning. Investigating judges filed preliminary charges on Wednesday evening and ordered him to pay bail of 5 million euros and report to police twice a week, according to a statement from the Paris prosecutor's office.

The allegations against Durov, who is also a French citizen, include that his platform was being misused to host material about child sexual abuse and drug trafficking and that Telegram refused to disclose information or documents to investigators despite being required to do so by law.

The first preliminary charge against him was “complicity in the management of an online platform to facilitate illegal transactions by an organized group,” a crime that can lead to prison sentences of up to ten years and a fine of 500,000 euros, prosecutors said.

Under French law, when a preliminary indictment is made, judges have good reason to believe that a crime has been committed, but give the accused more time for further investigation.

David-Olivier Kaminski, a lawyer for Durov, was quoted by French media as saying: “It is completely absurd to think that the person in charge of a social network could be involved in criminal acts that do not concern him directly or indirectly.”

Prosecutors said Durov is “the only person involved in this case at this stage.” They did not rule out that other people are under investigation, but declined to comment on other possible arrest warrants. Any other warrant would be announced only if the person against whom such a warrant is issued is arrested and informed of his rights, prosecutors said in a statement to AP.

French authorities opened an investigation in February after Telegram had “almost no response to judicial requests” seeking data to track suspects, particularly those accused of crimes against children, prosecutors said.

Durov's arrest in France has sparked outrage in Russia, with some government officials calling it politically motivated and evidence of the West's double standards when it comes to freedom of expression. The outcry has caused consternation among Kremlin critics, as the Russian authorities themselves tried to block the Telegram app in 2018, but failed and lifted the ban in 2020.

In Iran, where Telegram is widely used despite its official ban following years of protests against the country's Shiite theocracy, Durov's arrest in France sparked comments from the Islamic Republic's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who praised France for taking “strict action” against those who “violate your control” of the internet.

French President Emmanuel Macron said on Monday that Durov's arrest was not a political move but part of an independent investigation. Macron posted on X that his country was “deeply committed” to freedom of expression, but “freedoms are maintained within a legal framework, both on social media and in real life, to protect citizens and respect their fundamental rights.”

A statement posted on the platform after Durov's arrest said the company complies with EU laws and its moderation “meets industry standards and is constantly improving.”

“Nearly a billion users worldwide use Telegram as a means of communication and as a source of important information. We look forward to a speedy resolution of this situation,” it said.

In addition to Russian and French citizenship, Durov also holds citizenship of the United Arab Emirates and the Caribbean island state of St. Kitts and Nevis.

The United Arab Emirates Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday that it was “closely following the case” and had called on France to “urgently provide Durov with all necessary consular services.”

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov expressed his hope that Durov “will be given all the necessary opportunities for his legal defense” and added that Moscow was “ready to provide the Telegram CEO, as a Russian citizen, with all the necessary help and support.”

“However, the situation is complicated by the fact that he is also a French citizen,” Peskov said.

Telegram was founded by Durov and his brother after he himself was subjected to pressure from the Russian authorities.

In 2013, he sold his stake in VKontakte, a popular Russian social network he founded in 2006.

The company came under pressure during the Russian government's crackdown on mass pro-democracy protests that rocked Moscow in late 2011 and 2012.

Durov said authorities had ordered the website to close online communities of Russian opposition activists and later to hand over the personal data of users who took part in the 2013-2014 popular uprising in Ukraine that ultimately led to the overthrow of a pro-Kremlin president.

Durov said in a recent interview that he rejected these demands and left the country.

The demonstrations prompted the Russian authorities to restrict the digital spaceand Telegram, with its privacy-friendly stance, offered Russians a convenient way to communicate and exchange messages.

Telegram also remains a popular news source in Ukraine, where it is used by media and authorities to exchange information about the war and to transmit warnings about rocket and air strikes.

Western governments have often criticized Telegram for its lack of content moderation.

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Barbara Surk reported from Nice, France.