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Telegram CEO Pavel Durov Arrested In France Over Moderation Policy On The Pro-free-speech Messaging App
August 25, 2024
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Russian-born founder and owner of Telegram was arrested Saturday, at Le Bourget airport outside Paris shortly after landing on a private jet from Azerbaijan. The 39-year-old billionaire who has dual French and UAE citizenship, has been placed in custody as part of a preliminary investigation into alleged wide range of crimes committed on the messaging app due to a lack of moderation, and a lack of cooperation with police.

Authorities have since reportedly extended Durov's detention to another 96 hours.

There was no initial official confirmation from France of the arrest, but police had reportedly spotted he was on the passenger list and moved to arrest him because he was the subject of an arrest warrant in France.

Telegram is famously known to be among the least censored social media platforms, The company says it "is committed to protecting user privacy and human rights such as freedom of speech and assembly." Durov has resisted attempts to get him to censor legal speech on the messaging app.

“We get too much attention from the FBI and other security agencies whenever we come to the U.S," Durov told popular American journalist and podcaster Tucker Carlson earlier in the year. "The last time I was in the U.S., I brought an engineer who works for Telegram. There was an attempt by cybersecurity officers or agents to secretly hire my engineer behind my back. They were curious to learn which open-source libraries are integrated into Telegram's app, and they tried to persuade him to use certain open-source tools that would serve as backdoors. I personally experienced similar pressure in the U.S. Whenever I would go to the U.S., I would have two FBI agents greet me at the airport, asking questions. My understanding is that they wanted to establish a relationship to control Telegram better.”

A cybersecurity gendarmerie unit and national anti-fraud police unit are reportedly leading the French investigation into Telegram and Durov.

In a statement on X, the company writes: "Telegram abides by EU laws, including the Digital Services Act — its moderation is within industry standards and constantly improving. Telegram's CEO Pavel Durov has nothing to hide and travels frequently in Europe. It is absurd to claim that a platform or its owner are responsible for abuse of that platform."

Russia's foreign ministry said it had sent a note to Paris demanding access to Durov.

Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said that Durov had misjudged by fleeing Russia and thinking that he would never have to cooperate with the security services abroad.

Russian lawmaker Maria Butina, who spent 15 months in U.S. prison for acting as an unregistered Russian agent, said Durov "is a political prisoner - a victim of a witch-hunt by the West."

Durov arrest drew swift global condemnations with #FreePavel trending on social media, and many comparing France and Europe in general to the totalitarian regimes in China and North Korea where political dissent is not tolerated. Many on X raised concerns over travelling to France as a free-speech-minded tech entrepreneur.

Chris Pavlovski, CEO of YouTube rival Rumble whose platform has been forced to suspend services in France after rejecting regulator's demands to censor some users, wrote on X: "I’m a little late to this, but for good reason -- I’ve just safely departed from Europe. France has threatened Rumble, and now they have crossed a red line by arresting Telegram’s CEO, Pavel Durov, reportedly for not censoring speech. Rumble will not stand for this behavior and will use every legal means available to fight for freedom of expression, a universal human right. We are currently fighting in the courts of France, and we hope for Pavel Durov’s immediate release."

In a earlier post, he noted: "China bans Rumble; France threatens Rumble, we leave; Brazil threatens Rumble, we leave; UK threatens Rumble; Russia bans Rumble; New Zealand threatens Rumble; France arrests Telegram CEO. Free speech is under major assault and I will not stop fighting for it."

X owner and Tesla chief, Elon Musk wrote, "It's 2030 in Europe and you’re being executed for liking a meme." And responding to an X user who asked why Mark Zuckerberg is not facing the same prosecution given the prevalence of prohibited content across Meta platforms like Facebook and Whatsapp, Musk wrote, "Because he already caved into censorship pressure. Instagram has a massive child exploitation problem, but no arrest for Zuck, as he censors free speech and gives governments backdoor access to user data."

Telegram, with close to 1 billion users, is particularly influential in Russia, Ukraine and the republics of the former Soviet Union. The platform is also a political propaganda battlefield used by activists and influential leaders across the world including pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian groups, the Russian government, and Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky and his officials.

Durov launched Telegram after he was pressured by Russian authorities to sell his social media platform VK. His younger brother, Nikolai, designed the encryption used in Telegram, according to Durov.

"I would rather be free than to take orders from anyone," Durov said in April about his exit from Russia and search for a home for his company, which included stints in Berlin, London, Singapore and San Francisco. He finally settled in Dubai, UAE.

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Soyuz 2.1a rocket launched Progress MS-31 cargo spacecraft (designated Progress 92 by NASA) from Site 31/6 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on 3 July 2025 at 1932 UTC, beginning a resupply mission to the International Space Station(ISS). The spacecraft is expected to dock with the zenith port of the ISS's Poisk module on 5 July at around 2127 UTC after a two-day free flight.

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The Russian segment of the ISS currently hosts other visiting vehicles, including Soyuz MS-27, and Progress MS-30 (Progress 91).

Soyuz MS-27 crewed spacecraft launched on 8 April 2025, carrying NASA astronaut Jonny Kim and Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Ryzhikov and Alexey Zubritsky to the ISS. MS-30 cargo spacecraft launched on Feb. 27, and is docked to Zvezda service module's aft port.

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MS-31 mission is the second launch of the Progress MS spacecraft in 2025 and the third rocket launch from the Baikonur cosmodrome this year.

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Sean 'Diddy' Combs Guilty Of 2 Of 5 Counts In Sex Trafficking Trial: Jury

American rapper and Hip Hop mogul Sean 'Diddy' Combs was found guilty Wednesday, by a jury in New York City on two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution in his federal trial, but was acquitted of the more severe charges of racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking.

Combs was convicted of two counts related to transporting individuals across state lines for prostitution, each carrying a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison. Prosecutors estimated a preliminary sentence of 51 to 63 months, or roughly four to five years. He will receive 10 months of credit for time served.

Despite Combs' attorneys' request for release on a $1 million bond, District Judge Arun Subramanian denied bail, emphasizing the need for Combs to remain in custody due to his history of violence, the defense's concession of violence in his personal relationships and the risk he poses to the community. He'll remain in detention until his sentencing on October 3, 2025.

Verdict watch kicked off Monday as the jury headed back for their deliberations. Combs was facing five total felony counts: one of racketeering conspiracy, two counts of sex trafficking, and two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution.

Tuesday afternoon, the jury sent a note saying they had reached a verdict on counts 2 through 5, but had been unable to reach a verdict on count 1, for racketeering conspiracy. Subraminian sent the jury back to continue deliberating, and they resumed Wednesday morning.

Racketeering was widely viewed as the most complicated and difficult for prosecutors to establish. The Department of Justice has defined the elements of a conviction under federal RICO law as requiring the government to “prove beyond a reasonable doubt: (1) that an enterprise existed; (2) that the enterprise affected interstate commerce; (3) that the defendant was associated with or employed by the enterprise; (4) that the defendant engaged in a pattern of racketeering activity; and (5) that the defendant conducted or participated in the conduct of the enterprise through that pattern of racketeering activity through the commission of at least two acts of racketeering activity as set forth in the indictment.”

At 9:52 am ET Wednesday, the jury sent a note that they had reached a verdict. “We have reached a verdict on all counts,” the note read.

The verdicts were not guilty of racketeering conspiracy, not guilty on both counts of sex trafficking Ventura and “Jane,” and guilty of two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution.

After the verdict was read, Subramanian thanked the jury for their service and urged them to be cautious about speaking to the press or other people.

Prosecutors have argued Combs masterminded a decades-long criminal enterprise that abused, threatened, and coerced his victims, including Cassie Ventura, his ex-girlfriend whom he was seen violently assaulting in a now-infamous hotel surveillance video from March 2016, and another ex-girlfriend, pseudonymously referred to as “Jane” during the trial.

Combs' legal team, led by attorney Marc Agnifilo, argued throughout the trial that any sexual encounters were legal and consensual.

The 55-year-old had initially denied Ventura’s accusations against him when she sued him in November 2023 saying Combs had raped, abused, and sex trafficked her for years. The lawsuit was settled out of court one day later; Ventura testified during this trial that the settlement was $20 million. A few days after the hotel video was obtained and published by CNN in May 2024, Combs posted a video on his Instagram account admitting to his “inexcusable” actions and saying he was “disgusted” with himself.

Post-verdict Wednesday, Combs’ defense counsel argued that he “should be released on appropriate conditions” since he was acquitted of the most serious charges. Agnifilo vowed to the court that his client, if released, would return to his house in Miami to be with his family and comply with the court’s conditions.

Last September, the court denied defense attorneys’ motion for bail and ordered Combs to remain incarcerated during the pendency of the trial. An appeal the next day was rejected and the trial court’s denial of bail and pre-trial detention was affirmed. Combs has been held in federal custody since then and throughout the trial.

“Is your proposal that he leave this courtroom and walk outside?” Subramanian asked Agnifilo.

Agnifilo replied yes, and emphasized to the judge that Combs “has been given his life by this jury” by avoiding having to spend the rest of his life in prison and would be “nothing short of a fool” if he were released pre-sentencing and violated any of the court’s conditions.

“He treasures, I assure you, the opportunity that he has been given, and he will not run afoul of anything this court imposes on him,” Agnifilo said.

Prosecutors said the government opposes Combs being released.

Assistant US Attorney Maurene Comey highlighted the substantial evidence presented during the trial of Combs’ heavy drug use and abuse, which was not contested by his defense, and argued the defendant had shown a pattern of not respecting the law, that he had “continued to commit a litany of crimes” even after he knew he was being investigated, and therefore could not be trusted not to commit new crimes if he were released.

Comey added that prosecutors will be seeking incarceration for the two counts of which Combs was convicted.

Ventura’s attorney Doug Wigdor made a statement praising his client for having the “courage” to file her 2023 lawsuit that launched this criminal investigation and “paved the way for a jury to find him guilty of transportation to engage in prostitution.”

“By coming forward with her experience, Cassie has left an indelible mark on both the entertainment industry and the fight for justice,” said Wigdor, lauding Ventura for the way she showed “exemplary courage throughout this trial” and “brought attention to the realities of powerful men in our orbit and the misconduct that has persisted for decades without repercussion.”

“This case proved that change is long overdue,” he added, “and we will continue to fight on behalf of survivors.”

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