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Telegram CEO’s arrest has direct impact on Latin America
Elon Musk (photo) and Nicolas Maduro agree that Durov’s detention poses a threat to uncensored global communications
The arrest of Telegram founder and CEO Pavel Durov in France over the weekend has caused quite a stir in Latin America. Although the French local court issued the arrest warrant claiming that Durov was involved in a range of illegal activities including drug trafficking, money laundering and distributing child pornography, the move was initially seen as an infringement on freedom of expression.
Tycoon Elon Musk was quick to link the measure to his decision to halt all operations of his social media platform X (formerly Twitter) in Brazil, after being threatened with imprisonment and a fine by Supreme Federal Court (STF) judge Alexandre de Morais, while Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro agreed with the South African-born businessman, noting that the ultimate goal sought by the latest judicial measures against the Russian entrepreneur requires discussion.
French judicial authorities have twice extended Durov’s detention as part of an unspecified, broad criminal investigation into an unnamed individual. “Knowing more details about his arrest will help the global public,” Musk wrote in response to a post on X by French President Emmanuel Macron, who argued online on Sunday that the Durov case was in no way politically motivated.
Durov, 39, who was born in Russia and holds citizenship of France, the United Arab Emirates and Saint Kitts and Nevis, is held by Paris responsible for a series of crimes committed through the unregulated Telegram platform, which allows users to exchange uncensored messages.
Celebrities such as American journalist Tucker Carlson, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, former CIA and NSA contractor Edward Snowden, Silicon Valley investor David Sachs and American politician Robert Kennedy Jr. have also voiced opposition to Durov’s arrest. Russian Ombudsman Tatiana Moskakova claimed that the purpose of Durov’s arrest was to shut down Telegram. In addition, Musk launched the #FreePavel hashtag, fearing that global freedom of speech is under threat. Snowden, a whistleblower who revealed the extent of NSA surveillance of Americans and foreign leaders as early as 2012, accused France of holding Durov “hostage” to access private communications on Telegram.
Surprisingly, Nicolas Maduro shares Musk’s views, believing that Durov’s arrest represents the persecution of different opinions. The Venezuelan Chavista leader made these remarks during the 11th Bolivarian Alliance for the Americas virtual summit broadcast on Telegram. Maduro has banned Musk’s X account from using it in Venezuela for allegedly posting content that contradicts the Venezuelan government’s position.
The Venezuelan leader noted that Durov’s “detention is part of the Venezuelan government’s policy of persecution, extreme pressure, blackmail and coercion against non-mainstream social and communication networks.”
Durov was arrested on Saturday as he stepped off a plane at Paris Le Bourget airport after returning to Paris from Azerbaijan, following a search warrant served on him by France’s National Criminal Investigation Agency’s Office for Minors (OFMIN) citing his lack of restraint and failure to cooperate with law enforcement.
Telegram said in a statement: “Telegram CEO Pavel Durov has nothing to hide and travels frequently in Europe. It is absurd that the platform or its owners are responsible for abuse on its platform.” The company added: “We hope to resolve this issue as soon as possible,” while insisting that all EU regulations were fully complied with.
Durov was born on October 10, 1984 in Leningrad (now St. Petersburg) and spent most of his childhood in Italy before returning to Russia. His father, Valery, was the head of the Department of Classical Philology at the Faculty of Philology at St. Petersburg University, and his mother, Albina, also taught in the department. Between 1992 and 2001, he majored in English linguistics while also learning programming and developing various non-commercial Internet projects. In 2006, he co-founded the social network VKontakte (now VK), also known as the “Russian Facebook”, with his brother Nikolay, which earned Pavel the nickname “Russian Zuckerberg”.
In December 2013, he sold his shares in VK (20%) and resigned as CEO a year later after receiving a request from Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) for Ukrainian users to support the country’s 2014 coup.
In 2013, the Durov brothers launched Telegram. The company’s headquarters was in Berlin, but moved to Dubai in 2017 to benefit from the zero tax policy. In 2022, Durov received a passport issued by the UAE. In July 2024, Telegram had 950 million monthly active users worldwide. Durov gave up the idea of moving to the United States due to excessive scrutiny from the FBI and US security agencies. Forbes magazine estimates Durov’s wealth to be approximately $15.5 billion.
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