Pavel Durov Breaks Silence on France Arrest in Tucker Carlson Interview

Telegram founder Pavel Durov is still trying to figure out why he was detained in France last August, though the motives may have been political and tied to authorities’ efforts to crack down on alleged illicit activity on the messaging platform.

That was one of the 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 outside Paris, Durov said French authorities appeared primarily interested in how Telegram works — “as if it’s some kind of mystery,” he quipped.

“[W]e’re a big company, we are audited by a Big Four accounting firm, we work with the biggest financial institutions […] we spend millions of dollars every quarter on legal compliance […] to make sure we don’t violate laws anywhere and we operate in almost 200 countries,” said Durov.

“So it was very confusing for me to get detained in Paris and learn that Telegram did something wrong or didn’t process some requests,” he said. 

Durov was indicted on six charges by French prosecutors in August 2024 for alleged complicity in criminal activity, refusing to respond to French authorities, money laundering, criminal association, providing crypto services without proper declaration, and involvement in the spread of illicit content allegedly facilitated by Telegram’s limited moderation. At the time, prosecutors said he could face up to 10 years in prison.

“When I learned more about it, I realized that we did actually nothing wrong,” he said, since French authorities allegedly didn’t follow due process in seeking information from Durov or Telegram.

When Carlson pressed Durov on the charges against him and why his movements remain restricted, Durov replied, “I’m still trying to find out, to be honest. I’m confused.” He continued: 

“At first, they said, ‘Oh, you failed to respond to our legal requests, and that’s why you’re complicit.’ But first of all, it’s not true that we didn’t respond to legally binding legal requests, and secondly, it’s a very extensive interpretation of complicity even for the French […] legal and judicial system.”

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

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

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

During the interview, Carlson criticized not just the fact that Durov was detained, but the manner in which it was carried out.

“Obviously, they went way out of their way to humiliate you,” Carlson said. 

Durov agreed, noting that his lawyers told him the prosecutor’s office typically operates out of the public eye and rarely issues press statements. That was “not the case with me,” he added.

While Carlson questioned the silence of so-called civil libertarians, the TON Community reported that more than 9 million Telegram users signed a letter calling for Durov’s release.

While the conversation with Carlson marked Durov’s first public interview since his arrest, he had broken his silence shortly after the incident last September, stating that Telegram was prepared to exit countries that don’t align with the platform’s commitment to free speech.

Telegram has since grown into one of the world’s largest messaging platforms, reaching one billion monthly active users as of March, according to industry data.

Magazine: Did Telegram’s Pavel Durov commit a crime? Crypto lawyers weigh in