The founder of Telegram, Pavel Durov, a Russian national was reportedly arrested in France on 24th of August, 2024 while he visited the country.
According to reports, Pavel Durov entered France via his private jet from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) where he had settled and conducted his business operations including the operation of Telegram.
He had fled his home country, Russia due to his unflinching dedication to upholding and fostering free speech and flow of information through his establishment, Telegram and the Russian’s resistance to his dream.
However, his arrest in France is speculated to be in connection with his refusal to grant EU countries access to the backend of his telegram; a request he had declined and never yielded to as he aims to ensure that Telegram remains a free platform for information sharing which is devoid of government interferences.
The reports claim that that the French authority acted inline with the resolve of the member states of the EU who seek backend access to Telegram as they do to YouTube, Instagram, Facebook and others.
Pavel Durov is likely to be detained by the French authority for a long period of time due to his lack of co-operation and unwillingness to compromise his stance.