Free Republic

Free speech is dying in once-liberal democracies that are now ruled by unaccountable administrative bureaucracies. Reading the corporate media coverage of Telegram CEO Pavel Durov’s arrest in Paris this week, you’d think he was a Kremlin spy or an international terrorist, not the founder of a popular social media app with nearly a billion users.The charges against Durov — whom the media never fail to inform us was born in Russia — include “complicity in the distribution of child pornography and selling of drugs, money laundering, and a refusal to cooperate with law enforcement,” according to The New York Times....

On Saturday, the CEO of the popular messaging app Telegram was arrested at Le Bourget airport in France for refusing to comply with the country’s censorship laws.Pavel Durov, 39, was arrested on the tarmac as he got off his private jet from Azerbaijan.On Saturday evening Mike Benz, the founder and Executive Director of the Foundation for Freedom Online released a video explaining who he believes is behind this arrest – The US State Department.Benz is an authority of the Deep State and the US government operations in Europe and abroad.Mike Benz:SNIPOne of the things they’re talking about in the space...

The detention of Pavel Durov, the founder of the Telegram messaging app, in Paris on Saturday has raised questions about the future of a platform that has come to define the public perception of Russia’s war in Ukraine. Russia’s invasion in 2022 helped transform Telegram from a niche communication tool for Russia’s educated classes into a global phenomenon. The app has allowed millions of people to follow battlefield developments in near real time, turned soldiers into the narrators of the conflict unfolding around them and gave both propagandists and dissidents a pulpit in the struggle for the hearts and minds...

Two Ukrainian drones shot down over the water near the port city of Sevastopol... The Dutch Defense Minister says that a computer failure at the country's Ministry of Defense was not the result... The Biden-Harris Administration request to allow it to ease student debt loans rejected... In Las Vegas former Democrat elected official Robert Telles found guilty of murdering an investigative journalist... The Biden-Harris Administration imposing sanctions on a Jewish settler group and a Jewish settlement security coordinator in Israel... In Yemen heavy rainfall causing at least 33 deaths... Prosecutors in Sweden charging two men with hate crimes for burning...

Pavel Durov was released. After bail was promptly posted, he left prison. He did not talk to journalists, got into a car with guards and drove away.

Goal of the Authoritarian Deep State is to either #1 Shut down Telegram or #2 Coerce Durov into Censoring Content/Sharing Telegram User Data - French prosecutors say Telegram messaging app CEO has been freed from custody, will appear in court

Telegram founder Pavel Durov has told police that he was supposed to have dinner with French President Emmanuel Macron on the day of his arrest, respected French investigative newspaper Le Canard Enchaine has reported. “Macron is perfectly capable of this kind of deceit aimed at fulfilling the mission demanded by his masters: jailing all those who defend freedom of expression! We demand explanations from Macron!” Les Patriots Party leader Florian Philippot wrote in a social media post commenting on the story. The Elysee Palace rushed to deny the newspaper’s claims.

Since Pavel Durov, the Russian-born billionaire and founder of the Telegram messaging app, was arrested on landing in Paris on Saturday evening, there has been more speculation than substance about his fate. The headline in a Russian newspaper summed up the story: “The arrest (or detention) of ‘Russia’s Zuckerberg’, Pavel Durov, is one of the most important, but mysterious global news stories,” declared Nezavisimaya Gazeta. True. Except that "mysterious" is a bit of an understatement. Why did French police detain him? What charges will he face? Has it anything at all to do with his recent visit to Azerbaijan, where...

George Washington University (GWU) law professor Jonathan Turley slammed “global censors” Monday morning on “Fox and Friends” following the arrest of Telegram founder Pavel Durov. French authorities arrested Durov, the billionaire creator and messaging app CEO ... concerns many in the European Union have for potential chilling of free speech. ... People need to realize what’s really going on here. We haven’t seen anything akin to a charging sheet, but it appears that he’s being arrested under these European laws that are designed to force social media companies to engage in censorship,” Turley said. ... the “most infamous” European law...

Alexander S. Vindman @AVindman While Durov holds French citizenship, is arrested for violating French law, this has broader implications for other social media, including Twitter. There’s a growing intolerance for platforming disinfo & malign influence & a growing appetite for accountability. Musk should be nervous.

In this particular case the Gab user "@Die_Lunte_brennt_schon" published two posts that sexualize the German politican "Ricarda Lang" and denigrate her weight. Through the sexualized and denigrated representation of "Ricarda Lang", the user attacks the honour of the politician and shows his own disrespect (section 185 of the German criminal code). With this insult the user publicly position the pubic political life on the grounds of the insulted person's The Gab-account "@Die_Lunte_brennt_schon" is the originator of the hate.

PARIS/MOSCOW, Aug 25 (Reuters) - Pavel Durov, the Russian-born billionaire founder and owner of the Telegram messaging app, was arrested at Le Bourget airport outside Paris shortly after landing on a private jet late on Saturday and placed in custody, three sources told Reuters. The arrest of the 39-year-old technology billionaire prompted on Sunday a warning from Moscow to Paris that he should be accorded his rights and criticism from X owner Elon Musk who said that free speech in Europe was under attack. There was no official confirmation from France of the arrest, but two French police sources and...

WHY DON’T THEY ARREST MARK ZUCKERBERG FOR ENABLING CHILD PREDAT0RS? Because he already caved into censorship pressure.

The CEO and founder of the encrypted social media app, Telegram, Pavel Durov, was arrested on August 24 at Le Bourget airport near Paris as he was departing his private jet.Durov's arrest has triggered a heated debate with most influencers seeing it as an onslaught on free speech. A hashtag #FreeDurov popped up on X. Former US presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. tweeted: "France just arrested Pavel Durov, founder and CEO of the encrypted and uncensored Telegram platform. The need to protect free speech has never been more urgent."Naomi Seibt, a German conservative political activist, dubbed anti-Greta by the...

Rumble CEO Chris Pavolvski announced on Sunday that he has escaped France and departed communist Europe. Pavlovski, who runs one of the largest social media companies in the world in Rumble, has always vowed to make his platform an oasis for free speech unlike the far-left tyrants at Google-YouTube who allow leftists to spew unlimited amount of lies but will not allow conservative voices a voice on the platform without restrictions. Pavlovski wrote on X: Chris Pavlovski: I’m a little late to this, but for good reason — I’ve just safely departed from Europe. France has threatened Rumble, and now...

Telegram founder and CEO Pavel Durov was arrested in France on Saturday after his private jet landed at Le Bourget Airport, French media reported.Durov was arrested under a warrant related to “various violations of his encrypted messaging service,” according to a report by Le Monde. The 39-year-old, who became a French citizen in 2021, is expected to be brought to court on Sunday.French authorities are accusing Durov of a “lack of moderation” involving Telegram. The messaging app is reportedly under attack in Europe for the “viral circulation of false information.”“Telegram has shielded itself from state moderation rules, at a time...

Telegram founder and CEO Pavel Durov was arrested in France on Saturday after his private jet landed at Le Bourget Airport, French media reported.Durov was arrested under a warrant related to “various violations of his encrypted messaging service,” according to a report by Le Monde. The 39-year-old, who became a French citizen in 2021, is expected to be brought to court on Sunday.French authorities are accusing Durov of a “lack of moderation” involving Telegram. The messaging app is reportedly under attack in Europe for the “viral circulation of false information.”“Telegram has shielded itself from state moderation rules, at a time...

Caretaker Prime Minister Gabriel Attal proposing what amounts to a budget freeze for 2025... Friday the first day of a long drawn-out series of discussions with various political factions held by President Emmanuel Macron. Macron brought his own "Centrist" faction in then the "Left" had its opportunity to meet him. The New Popular Front with support from 193 of the 577 deputies... And to emphasize at this moment keeping the Anti-Israel, Anti-Capitalist Left out of power in France is what underlies President Emmanuel Macron's actions in the post-election period. Also worth noting the arrest of Pavel Durov this weekend in...

Pavel Durov, the founder and owner of Telegram, is a significant figure in the tech world. As of August 24, 2024, his net worth is estimated at $15.5 billion, placing him among the world’s wealthiest individuals, ranked #120. Durov’s notable achievements began with the creation of VKontakte (VK), Russia's largest social network, which he co-founded with his brother Nikolai in 2006. VK quickly became a dominant platform in Russia, similar to Facebook. #Durov’s tenure at VK was marked by disputes with Russian authorities over data privacy and content control. In 2014, facing mounting pressure, he was compelled to sell his...

Advertisers that are now boycotting Facebook to protest "hate speech" have spent years running ads and marketing campaigns on a Russian social media platform that bans gay-rights groups and is known as a haven for white supremacists. Over 100 companies announced a boycott of Facebook last week in protest of divisive political speech on the website. The boycott coincides with a public pressure campaign led by Joe Biden and other top Democrats to press Facebook to enforce stricter control over President Trump’s postings. But many of these companies—including Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Adidas, and Reebok—have been regular advertisers on VK, a popular...