Arrest of Pavel Durov

Pavel Durov, co-founder of Telegram, was arrested on 24 August, 2024, in Paris, France, after landing at Le Bourget Airport by the French National Police. He was charged and indicted on 12 counts, including complicity in the distribution of child exploitation material and drug trafficking on 28 August.

There was also information earlier that France was planning to target Durov and Durov's brother Nikolai.

The arrest is seen as part of Internet censorship, free speech censorship, and as well as helping to bring France-Russia relations down to what is considered an all-time low, there are now plans to send Durov back to Russia or the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The UAE has frozen a 10 billion euro contract to buy 80 Dassault Rafale fighter jets from France following the arrest. The UAE is also considering the possibility of completely halting military and technical cooperation with France.

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Category:2024 in Europe
Category:August 2024 events
Category:Controversies