French prosecutors have brought 12 criminal charges against Pavel Durov, the CEO of Telegram.
These charges include allegations of complicity in the possession and distribution of child pornography, fraud, and involvement in the sale and distribution of illegal narcotics.
Following his arrest upon entering France on August 24th, prosecutor Laure Beccuau released a statement outlining the charges against Durov.
According to the statement, French authorities initiated an investigation into an unnamed individual in early July, implicating Durov in 12 counts.
These include the refusal to provide user data or information requested by French authorities.
Additionally, Durov has been accused of providing cryptology services without certified declaration and laundering proceeds derived from an organized group’s offenses and crimes.
Moreover, the prosecutor alleges that Durov was involved in web-mastering a platform to facilitate illegal transactions within an organized group.
In response to these allegations, Durov’s legal team has adamantly dismissed them by drawing parallels between their client and car manufacturers being held accountable when their products are used for criminal purposes.
The arrest and prosecution of Durov have sparked widespread criticism from various quarters. Critics have raised concerns about freedom of speech, with some pointing to this case as emblematic of issues surrounding free expression.
Notably, individuals from Durov’s native Russia have condemned his arrest as a witch hunt and proclaimed that freedom of speech is dead in Europe.
Elon Musk, the owner of X (formerly Twitter), has publicly voiced his support for Durov by sharing an interview between Durov and Tucker Carlson along with the hashtag #freePavel.
Musk himself has faced pressure from the European Union to censor his platform amid accusations of allowing “illegal” hate speech and other unlawful activities.
European Commissioner Thierry Breton even issued a direct threat to Musk, demanding censorship related to an interview with former President Donald J. Trump earlier this month.
Chris Pavlovski, CEO of Rumble, also weighed in on the situation by disclosing that he had been threatened by French authorities as well.
He characterized the arrest as crossing a red line and called for Durov’s immediate release. Pavlovski further indicated that his company had “departed Europe” entirely after facing bans in France as well as China and Russia.
The unfolding events involving Pavel Durov have led to intense scrutiny from various stakeholders globally.
The accusations against him have ignited debates around freedom of speech, corporate responsibility, and international legal boundaries concerning digital platforms’ operations.
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By these standards, they should also arrest every CEO of every cell phone company and internet service provider as they are ALL used by criminals for illicit endeavors and therefor complicit.