[ April 21, 2026 ]
Billionaire and Telegram messaging app CEO Pavel Durov was arrested in France and facing 20 years in jail for refusing to censor his platform. The bogus charges include terrorism, money laundering,etc when they are, in fact, targeting anyone who defends free speech.
They are setting a precedent. Next in their cross hairs – Elon Musk.
This is not your father or your grandfather’s war. This is 21st century warfare.
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The “investigation” is regarding his company’s messaging app, as French police believe there are not enough moderators to keep criminal activity in check, reported TF1.
The CEO was aboard his private jet at Paris-Le Bourget Airport, which formerly served as the French capital’s main airport.
Pavel, a native of Russia, now lives in Dubai and holds a dual citizenship to both the United Arab Emirates and France.
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Telegram is based in Dubai and, according to its own data, has over 900 million monthly active users.
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France is actually going to throw Telegram founder Pavel Durov in jail for up to 20 YEARS for refusing to censor the truth.
If this happened to Mark Zuckerberg in Russia, every Western government would be going crazy.
The hypocrisy and double standards are astounding. pic.twitter.com/Clzv1Pn0Vc
— Cillian (@CilComLFC) August 24, 2024
Telegram founder Pavel Durov recently revealed to Tucker Carlson that the FBI approached a Telegram engineer, attempting to secretly hire him to install a backdoor that would allow U.S. intelligence agencies to spy on users.
The FBI also hired agents to infiltrate 'anti-vaxx'… pic.twitter.com/JAetzKIJzg
— Shadow of Ezra (@ShadowofEzra) August 24, 2024
🚨BREAKING: Pavel Durov stood up to the EU’s censorship and now faces false charges of everything from terrorism to ped0phiIia – all for protecting ‘free speech’.
Next in their sights? Elon Musk.
The EU is no longer a democracy – it’s becoming a dictatorship. pic.twitter.com/EKJpldxgKW
— Dr. Simon Goddek (@goddeketal) August 24, 2024
Pavel Durov left Russia when the government tried to control his social media company, Telegram. But in the end, it wasn’t Putin who arrested him for allowing the public to exercise free speech. It was a western country, a Biden administration ally and enthusiastic NATO member,… https://t.co/F83E9GbNHC
— Tucker Carlson (@TuckerCarlson) August 24, 2024
World News
Telegram founder Pavel Durov arrested at Paris airport: reportBy Patrick Reilly, NY Post, Aug. 24, 2024, 8:09 p.m. ET
Pavel Durov, the co-founder and CEO of the messaging app Telegram, was arrested at an airport in Paris Saturday after getting off his private jet, according to French media reports.
ADVERTISEMENTThe billionaire Russian exile was arrested at around 8p.m. at Le Bourget airport by french cops after flying in from Azerbaijan, French outlet TF1 Info reported.
French authorities had issued a search warrant as part of a preliminary investigation into Durov and his encrypted messaging app, which has some 900 million users worldwide.
Telegram co-founder Pavel Durov, 3Law enforcement believe that Telegram’s lack of moderation and the tools it offers, such as cryptocurrencies, make it complicit in global drug trafficking, pedophilia and fraud. But the search warrant was only valid if Durov stepped foot on French soil.
“He made a blunder this evening. We don’t know why… Was this flight just a stopover? In any case, he’s in custody,” a source close to the investigation told TF1.
Durov, 39, is a Russian-born tech entrepreneur best known for founding the social networking site VK (VKontakte) and the messaging app Telegram.
He lives in Dubai, where Telegram is based, and is also a citizen of France and the United Arab Emirates, according to Fortune.
Durov founded Telegram in 2013 with his brother Nikolai, but fled Russia in 2014 after he refused to hand over encrypted user data to Russian officials or silence communities opposing the government, which he later sold.
Durov decided to live in self-imposed exile, stating when he left that Russia was “incompatible with internet business at the moment,” according to The Sun.
Durov, 39, is under investigation for his platform’s alleged lack of moderation. Corbis via Getty Images
He is worth an estimated $15.5 billion, according to Forbes.
Telegram emphasizes users’ privacy, which has drawn criticism from many governments for allowing militants and organized criminals to discreetly communicate.
It has also become a major source for information in the Russia-Ukraine war.
Durov has maintained that Telegram is a neutral social media platform and not a “player in geopolitics.”
He is expected to appear before a judge on Sunday on charges connected to terrorism, narcotics, complicity, fraud, money laundering, receiving stolen goods and child pornography, according to TF1.
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