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France Arrests 55 in Massive Child Pornography Crackdown Linked to Telegram
France arrests 55 men in 10-month probe targeting child pornography networks on Telegram. Founder Pavel Durov under investigation as platform labeled “pedophile den.”
ND
by News Desk
2025-05-23
France Arrests 55 in Massive Child Pornography Crackdown Linked to Telegram

Paris — French authorities have arrested 55 men aged between 25 and 75 in a sweeping operation targeting child pornography and abuse networks operating on Telegram, the encrypted messaging app founded by Pavel Durov.

The arrests, which took place across 42 departments from Monday to Thursday, are the culmination of a 10-month undercover investigation led by OFMIN, the French agency responsible for preventing violence against minors. OFMIN issued the warrant that led to the arrest of Telegram founder Pavel Durov in Paris in 2024. Durov remains under formal investigation for the presence of illegal content on Telegram.

According to Quentin Bevan, head of OFMIN’s operational unit, the suspects were in contact with “extremely dangerous” child sex abusers already imprisoned since last summer. The probe began following the arrest of individuals suspected of abusing children and distributing illicit material on the platform. The suspects face charges including human trafficking and could face life imprisonment.

Bevan revealed that the suspects either have children or grandchildren or come into contact with children through their workplaces. Disturbingly, some suspects boasted about abusing children while they slept but later denied committing crimes.

Despite some cooperation from Telegram since Durov’s arrest, OFMIN officials described the platform as “barely fulfilling its legal obligations” and labeled it a “pedophile den” and “platform of choice” for child abusers.

Telegram responded by rejecting these accusations, stating it “meets and exceeds its legal obligations to fight harmful content” and has “always complied with EU law,” consistently responding to binding legal requests.

Durov also asserts that Telegram has long sought to combat child abuse on the platform.

In June 2024, France shut down Coco, an adult website used for sex crimes including child abuse. Since then, authorities believe many perpetrators have migrated to Telegram.

This operation marks a significant effort by French law enforcement to crack down on online child exploitation and highlights the ongoing challenges tech platforms face in policing harmful content.
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