The Telegram owner has reportedly been detained upon arriving in France on Saturday
The arrest of Telegram founder Pavel Durov in France is a warning to platforms that stand up to censorship, American journalist and political commentator Tucker Carlson has said.
According to French media, the Russian-born entrepreneur was detained at Paris-Le Bourget Airport on Saturday and will appear in court on Sunday evening. The French authorities reportedly issued an arrest warrant, arguing that insufficient moderation allows for Telegram to be widely used by criminals.
The news of Durov’s apparent prosecution has raised concerns online, including suggestions that it could be politically motivated.
“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,” Carlson wrote on X (formerly Twitter) on Saturday. “It was a…
