According to Macron, Durov's detention was not a political decision, but the result of an independent investigation.

Pavel Durov, the Russian-French founder and CEO of Telegram detained in France after being questioned for four days on suspicion of using the messaging app for illegal activities, was released on Wednesday, Paris prosecutors said Wednesday.

The French media reported on Saturday evening that Durov, who has both French and Russian citizenship, was detained at Le Bourget airport, where he arrived by private plane from Azerbaijan.

The businessman was on a wanted list in France, among other things, because Telegram refused to cooperate with the country's authorities.

The investigating judge terminated Pavel Durov's police custody and ordered him to be brought to court for a first hearing and possible indictment, the Paris prosecutor's office announced.

The list of charges against Durov includes, among other things, that his messaging application is used for the distribution of child pornography, drug trafficking, fraud, and as a forum for the business of organized criminals.

Durov's detention caused great indignation all over the world, a lot of explanations were demanded from France for the detention, some government officials spoke of a directly politically motivated procedure and the West's double standards regarding freedom of speech.

French President Emmanuel Macron also spoke on the matter, writing on X on Monday that Durov's detention was not a political decision, but the result of an independent investigation.

Hungarian Nation

Cover image: Pavel Durov's detention sparked outrage
Source: Wikimedia/By TechCrunch – TechCrunch Disrupt Europe: Berlin 2013Uploaded by Schreibvieh, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=30487347