Pavel Durov Breaks Silence on France Arrest in Tucker Carlson Interview

Telegram founder Pavel Durov continues to be making an attempt to determine why he was detained in France final August, although the motives might have been political and tied to authorities’ efforts to crack down on alleged illicit exercise on the messaging platform.

That was one of many key takeaways from Durov’s interview with Tucker Carlson, which premiered Tuesday on YouTube. 

In his first interview since his Aug. 24, 2024, arrest at Bourget Airport exterior Paris, Durov stated French authorities appeared primarily considering how Telegram works — “as if it’s some sort of thriller,” he quipped.

“[W]e’re a giant firm, we’re audited by a Huge 4 accounting agency, we work with the largest monetary establishments […] we spend hundreds of thousands of {dollars} each quarter on authorized compliance […] to verify we don’t violate legal guidelines wherever and we function in nearly 200 nations,” stated Durov.

“So it was very complicated for me to get detained in Paris and study that Telegram did one thing incorrect or didn’t course of some requests,” he stated. 

Durov was indicted on six expenses by French prosecutors in August 2024 for alleged complicity in felony exercise, refusing to reply to French authorities, cash laundering, felony affiliation, offering crypto companies with out correct declaration, and involvement within the unfold of illicit content material allegedly facilitated by Telegram’s restricted moderation. On the time, prosecutors stated he may withstand 10 years in jail.

“Once I realized extra about it, I spotted that we did truly nothing incorrect,” he stated, since French authorities allegedly didn’t comply with due course of in in search of data from Durov or Telegram.

When Carlson pressed Durov on the costs towards him and why his actions stay restricted, Durov replied, “I’m nonetheless looking for out, to be sincere. I’m confused.” He continued: 

“At first, they stated, ‘Oh, you failed to reply to our authorized requests, and that’s why you’re complicit.’ However to begin with, it’s not true that we didn’t reply to legally binding authorized requests, and secondly, it’s a really intensive interpretation of complicity even for the French […] authorized and judicial system.”

Durov’s attorneys described his detainment as “unprecedented.”

Associated: TON Society celebrates Pavel Durov leaving France as free speech win

Tucker Carlson: Telegram founder’s arrest was an act of “humiliation” 

In the course of the interview, Carlson criticized not simply the truth that Durov was detained, however the method through which it was carried out.

“Clearly, they went means out of their solution to humiliate you,” Carlson stated. 

Durov agreed, noting that his attorneys informed him the prosecutor’s workplace sometimes operates out of the general public eye and infrequently points press statements. That was “not the case with me,” he added.

Whereas Carlson questioned the silence of so-called civil libertarians, the TON Group reported that greater than 9 million Telegram customers signed a letter calling for Durov’s launch.

Whereas the dialog with Carlson marked Durov’s first public interview since his arrest, he had damaged his silence shortly after the incident final September, stating that Telegram was ready to exit nations that don’t align with the platform’s dedication to free speech.

Telegram has since grown into one of many world’s largest messaging platforms, reaching one billion month-to-month lively customers as of March, in response to business information.

Journal: Did Telegram’s Pavel Durov commit a criminal offense? Crypto attorneys weigh in