French police custody extended after arrest of Telegram chief executive Durov

A French investigative judge has extended police custody for the chief executive officer of the popular messaging app Telegram, Pavel Durov, prosecutors have said.

Mr Durov was detained on Saturday at Le Bourget airport as part of a judicial inquiry opened last month involving 12 alleged criminal violations.

They include complicity in selling child sexual abuse material and in drug trafficking, fraud, abetting organised crime transactions and refusing to share information or documents with investigators when required by law.

A statement from the Paris prosecutor’s office said Mr Durov’s police custody order was extended on Monday evening for up to 48 hours.

After that, authorities must release or charge him, the prosecutor’s office said in an earlier statement.

Mr Durov is a citizen of Russia, France, the United Arab Emirates and the Caribbean island nation of St Kitts and Nevis.

Russian government officials have expressed outrage at his detention, with some calling it politically motivated and proof of the West’s double standard on freedom of speech.

The outcry has raised eyebrows among Kremlin critics because in 2018, Russian authorities themselves tried to block Telegram but failed, withdrawing the ban in 2020.

French President Emmanuel Macron said on Monday that Mr Durov’s arrest was not a political move but part of an independent investigation.

Mr Macron posted on X that his country “is deeply committed” to freedom of expression but “freedoms are upheld within a legal framework, both on social media and in real life, to protect citizens and respect their fundamental rights”.

The UAE foreign ministry said on Tuesday that it was “closely following the case” and had asked France to provide Mr Durov “with all the necessary consular services in an urgent manner”.

The Russian embassy in Paris said consular officials were denied access to Mr Durov because French authorities view his French citizenship as his primary one.

Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei also weighed in on Mr Durov’s arrest.

“You saw that France arrested this poor young fellow, yes, they are that strict,” Mr Khamenei said in a meeting with members of new reformist President Masoud Pezeshkian’s Cabinet.

“That’s because he has violated their governance (over the internet),” Mr Khamenei said.

“Violating the governance is not acceptable. You rule a country, you have a responsibility … you can’t let anyone violate your governance.”

Telegram is banned in Iran after years of protests challenging the country’s Shiite theocracy, though the app remains widely used by Iranians.

Telegram, which says it has nearly a billion users worldwide, was founded by Mr Durov and his brother after he himself faced pressure from the Russian authorities.

It also continues to be a popular source of news in Ukraine, where both media outlets and officials use it to share information on the war, and deliver missile and air raid alerts.

In a statement posted on its platform after his arrest, Telegram said it abides by EU laws and its moderation is “within industry standards and constantly improving”.

“It is absurd to claim that a platform or its owner are responsible for abuse of that platform,” Telegram’s post said.

“Almost a billion users globally use Telegram as means of communication and as a source of vital information. We’re awaiting a prompt resolution of this situation. Telegram is with you all.”