‘No politics’: French President Macron on Telegram founder’s arrest

Paris: French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday said that Telegram founder and CEO Pavel Durov’s arrest in Paris was made under “an ongoing judicial investigation” and was not a “political decision”.

“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,” he said in a post on his X handle.

In the post, the French President said that he has “seen false information regarding France following the arrest of Pavel Durov” and stressed that “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”, he wrote.

The exact charges the tech entrepreneur could face are still unclear, but media reports suggest that his arrest warrant was issued by France’s OFMIN – an agency tasked with combating violence against minors – in order to conduct a probe into alleged fraud, drug trafficking, cyberbullying, organized crime and promotion of terrorism on the encrypted messaging platform, RT reported.

The 39-year-old Russian, who also holds citizenship in France, the UAE and Saint Kitts and Nevis, was detained by French authorities after his private jet landed in Paris on August 24 after flying from Azerbaijan.

Telegram on Monday said that “it is absurd to claim that a platform or its owner are responsible for abuse of that platform”.

In its first reaction after Durov’s arrest, the company said it abides by the EU laws, including the Digital Services Act.

“Telegram CEO Pavel Durov has nothing to hide and travels frequently in Europe. Almost a billion users globally use Telegram as a means of communication and as a source of vital information. We’re awaiting a prompt resolution of this situation,” said the platform which has more than 900 million active users.