• Fifty-five men arrested in France for involvement in a paedophile ring on Telegram.
• Suspects include a priest, paramedic, and music teacher, aged 25 to 75.
• Included a 10-month undercover investigation by France's OFMIN.
• Telegram founder Pavel Durov is under investigation for failing to curb illegal content.
• Authorities claim Telegram remains a "pedophile den" despite the platform's denial.

In a significant operation, French authorities have arrested fifty-five men suspected of being part of a paedophile ring operating via the Telegram messaging app. The arrests occurred across 42 departments over allegations related to the possession, distribution, and viewing of child pornography involving minors “under the age of 10,” according to SCMP and Le Monde.

The operation, which began over the past summer, resulted from a 10-month investigation by France's OFMIN, an office dedicated to preventing violence against minors. The suspects, aged between 25 and 75, include diverse professions like a priest, paramedic, and music teacher. OFMIN's operational unit head, Quentin Bevan, indicated that some of the arrested were in contact with "extremely dangerous" offenders who have been incarcerated for similar crimes, according to Dawn and SCMP.

The arrests were the culmination of an undercover operation that involved thousands of exchanges and the analysis of explicit content shared through Telegram. Bevan stated, “It took 10 months of investigation to track down these child abusers,” highlighting the task force's extensive efforts, as reported by Le Monde and Dawn.

In a related case, Telegram's founder, Pavel Durov, is under formal investigation for failing to manage illegal content effectively. Allegations against him include negligence in curbing child abuse and protecting extremist activities on his platform. Bevan criticized Telegram's current compliance, saying it is “barely fulfilling its legal obligations” and referring to the platform as a “pedophile den.” However, Durov has denied these accusations and argued that Telegram has actively worked to combat child exploitation, as noted by SCMP, Le Monde, and Dawn.