French President Emmanuel Macron, during a press conference in Serbia, stated that Pavel Durov's stay in France had not been coordinated and that the case will be handled by an independent judiciary.
Macron's Press Conference
On August 29, French President Emmanuel Macron held a press conference during his diplomatic visit to Serbia. During the televised visit, the French leader told reporters that he had not invited Telegram founder Pavel Durov to the country and was unaware of his visit. According to a translated version of Macron's response: 'As far as I’m concerned, I was absolutely unaware of Mr. Durov’s coming to France. And this is quite normal because I have not been aware of the coming of nationals from all over the world whether they have French nationality or not.' The French President also reiterated that Durov’s case would be handled by the 'independent action of the French justice system.'
Reaction to Pavel Durov's Arrest
Macron has faced widespread international backlash for the decision to arrest Durov. He maintains that the decision to detain the tech entrepreneur was not political. In response to the arrest of Durov, members of the crypto and tech sectors voiced their criticism. Gabor Gurbacs, former director of digital asset strategy at VanEck, expressed his displeasure on Twitter by asking: 'You arrest the guy then see if he did something wrong? Is this the “rule of law” and “freedom of expression” you are talking about?' Helius developer Mert similarly questioned the French President: 'Why aren’t you personally in jail for not controlling 100% of all crime in France?' He added: 'You can’t keep founders personally liable, and charge them up to 20 years, for not moderating speech and at the same time claim you’re deeply committed to freedom of expression.'
Conclusions and Future Actions
Durov has been formally charged by French prosecutors and is currently free on a 5 million euro bail-bond agreement but must remain in the country and check in with law enforcement weekly. The arrest of Durov has sparked fears of a broader crackdown on decentralized technology and free speech-oriented tech entrepreneurs. Rumble CEO Chris Pavlovski departed from Europe after his company allegedly received threats from French officials.
The case of Pavel Durov has attracted international attention and sparked wide debates about freedom of speech and the role of decentralized technology. As the French public continues to monitor the developments, the outcome of this case could have implications for the tech sector across Europe.
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