The News
French prosecutors formally charged Telegram CEO Pavel Durov with a wide range of crimes related to illegal activity on the app Wednesday, releasing him from custody but banning him from leaving the country.
The news and messaging platform has been linked to the spread of child sexual abuse content, drug trafficking, and hate crimes, but both Telegram and Durov showed a “near total absence” of communication in response to requests for cooperation with French investigators, said Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau.
Durov has been ordered to pay around $5.5 million in bail and must report to a police station twice a week, she added.
The Russian-born billionaire’s arrest sparked a free speech debate among right-wing social media figures, including Elon Musk. The Kremlin has framed the arrest as politically motivated, despite Durov’s historical opposition to Moscow’s online censorship.