Pavel Durov under arrest in France: travel ban and Putin's comments
French authorities have restricted the freedom of movement of Telegram founder Pavel Durov, prohibiting him from leaving the country until March 2025.
Photo: facebook.com/durov/
Telegram founder Pavel Durov has been banned from leaving France for six months, until March 2025. According to the French magazine Paris Match, local authorities imposed the travel restriction as part of an ongoing investigation.
The court also ordered the billionaire to pay a bail of five million euros, of which one million must be paid immediately, with the remaining amount to be paid in installments over five months.
The incident has sparked widespread public reaction. The United Nations expressed concern from a human rights perspective, emphasizing that any restrictions on freedom of speech should be proportional.
Representatives of the UN High Commissioner’s Office stated that they intend to publish a document outlining the criteria for assessing such situations.
Vladimir Putin also commented on the situation for the first time, stating that he was unaware of Durov's whereabouts and had not had contact with him in recent years.
He mentioned that he met with the entrepreneur "many years ago" and was unaware that Durov was in France or Dubai.
Putin also said that Russia has no claims against the Telegram founder, despite the platform being used by wrongdoers.
Earlier, we reported details of Pavel Durov's arrest in France, related to the investigation of Telegram's activities.