Telegram’s Pavel Durov under judicial supervision in France Accusations and public outcry mount

The investigating judge handling the case of Telegram co-founder Pavel Durov, who has been detained in Paris, has placed him under judicial control, prohibiting him from leaving France.

This information was confirmed in a statement from the Paris prosecutor's office, Caliber.Az reports.

According to the statement, Durov has been placed under judicial supervision, which includes several conditions: he must post bail of €5 million, report to the police station twice a week, and is barred from leaving French territory.

Durov faces charges for 6 out of 12 offences that were previously alleged against him. These charges include refusal to cooperate with authorities, complicity in the distribution of child pornography, drug trafficking, and fraud as part of an organized group.

The case against Durov is also tied to allegations of violence against one of his children. This information comes from a major French media outlet, which cites a source within the French National Police's Office for the Protection of Minors (OFMIN). The investigation reportedly involves "serious violence" that Durov allegedly inflicted on his child, born in 2017, while residing in Paris.

Furthermore, a similar lawsuit was filed against Durov in Switzerland. The lawsuit, filed by Irina Bolgar, who claims to be the mother of Durov’s three children, alleges that Durov abused their son five times between 2021 and 2022.

The case has sparked public outrage, leading to protests outside a Paris courthouse on Wednesday, August 28. Demonstrators were holding placards while the press gathered outside the court. French police were trying to disperse the protesters, who were mainly engaged in solitary picketing.

“I believe people should be free if their guilt has not been proven,” one protester explained to correspondents, expressing his reasons for joining the picket.