Petition for Pavel Durov's release collects over two million signatures

The global tech community has mobilized en masse to demand the release of Telegram founder Pavel Durov, arrested at Le Bourget airport. The French justice system accuses him of not taking action against the illegal use of his messaging service and of refusing to cooperate with investigators.

Arrested Saturday evening at Le Bourget airport, the boss of the encrypted messaging service Telegram, Pavel Durov, was released from police custody on Wednesday and was transferred early in the afternoon to the Paris courthouse, with a view to a possible indictment.

In the meantime, the arrest of the Franco-Russian billionaire had caused a wave of indignation around the world, particularly in the web sector and among defenders of freedom of expression. Thus, in less than 24 hours, a petition launched by the tech community via Ton Society, a blockchain initiative linked to The Open Network (TON), had collected more than 2.5 million signatures to call for the immediate release of Pavel Durov. The signatories  denounce unfounded accusations against him.

Launched on the social network X under the hashtag #DigitalResistance, the petition is accompanied by the following message: "  Today, we stand with Pavel Durov, the founder of Telegram. We, the members of the TON Society, strongly demand that the French and European governments immediately issue a public statement explaining the reasons for Pavel Durov's detention." In fact, the President of the French Republic published a tweet on Monday in which he explained that Durov's arrest "  is in no way a political decision  . "

Influential figures such as Elon Musk , CEO of X, Vitalik Buterin, a leading figure in the cryptocurrency industry and co-founder of Ethereum, and Edward Snowden , a whistleblower living in Russia, have lent their support to the campaign.

According to French authorities, Durov’s arrest follows a judicial investigation opened in July 2024 into 12 serious offenses, including complicity in the distribution of child pornography, drug trafficking, and organized fraud. Authorities accuse the Telegram founder of failing to adequately moderate illegal content on his messaging service and of refusing to cooperate with investigators. Telegram strongly rejects these accusations and says the platform complies with European Union regulations and that moderation practices are in line with industry standards.

Source: lejdd