French President Emmanuel Macron has said the decision to arrest the CEO of popular messaging app Telegram, Pavel Durov, was “not a political” one.
The founder and chief executive of the popular encrypted messaging service was detained at an airport in Paris.
Pavel Durov was held at Paris-Le Bourget airport on Saturday evening after arriving in France from Azerbaijan.
Durov is accused of 12 alleged criminal violations, the Paris prosecutor’s office said Monday.
In the hours since his arrest, the French government has been accused of arresting the tech tycoon for “political” reasons.
Taking to social media, Macron rejected these claims.
He wrote: “I have seen false information regarding France following the arrest of Pavel Durov. “France is deeply committed to freedom of expression and communication, to innovation, and to the spirit of entrepreneurship. It will remain so. “In a state governed by the rule of law, freedoms are upheld within a legal framework, both on social media and in real life, to protect citizens and respect their fundamental rights.
“It is up to the judiciary, in full independence, to enforce the law.
“The arrest of the president of Telegram on French soil took place as part of an ongoing judicial investigation. It is in no way a political decision. It is up to the judges to rule on the matter.”
Russian officials have expressed outrage over Durov’s detention, with the Telegram platform being their main source of public communication in recent years.
Maria Zakharova, from Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said in a post on her personal Telegram account: “In 2018, a group of 26 NGOs, including Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, Freedom House, Reporters Without Borders, the Committee to Protect Journalists, and others, condemned the Russian court’s decision to block Telegram.
“Do you think this time they’ll appeal to Paris and demand Durov’s release?”
Telegram said it abides by EU laws including the digital services act and its moderation is “within industry standards and constantly improving”.
Mr Durov, the company added, “has nothing to hide and travels frequently in Europe”.
“It is absurd to claim that a platform or its owner are responsible for abuse of that platform,” Telegram’s post said.
“Almost a billion users globally use Telegram as means of communication and as a source of vital information. We’re awaiting a prompt resolution of this situation. Telegram is with you all.”
By Henry Moore
