• Pavel Durov criticizes France for his arrest related to user activities on Telegram.
• Durov claims he was detained for four days without legal justification.
• The ongoing case has harmed France's image as a free country.
• He vehemently denies any wrongdoing and refuses to give access to user data.
• Durov still needs to report to French authorities every 14 days.

Pavel Durov, the founder of Telegram, has criticized French authorities for his "strange arrest" a year ago, asserting that the case has tarnished France’s reputation as a free nation. He described the circumstances surrounding his arrest in August 2024—when he was detained for four days— as “legally and logically absurd,” claiming that it was unprecedented for a CEO to be held accountable for the actions of platform users. Durov emphasized that investigators have yet to provide any evidence of wrongdoing on his part or that of Telegram, according to aa and indiatimes.

Durov further described his legal ordeal in a detailed post on X, stating, "One year after this strange arrest, I still have to return to France every 14 days, with no appeal date in sight." He alleged that French authorities bypassed national and EU procedures, which should have guided their approach to requesting assistance from Telegram. The billionaire tech entrepreneur asserted that their investigation has made no progress in substantiating the charges of complicity in criminal activities, including serious allegations such as child sexual abuse material and drug trafficking, according to businessinsider and indiatimes.