France denies political motive in arrest of Telegram founder
(VOVWORLD) -French President Emmanuel Macron said Monday that the arrest in France of the Russian founder of the messaging app Telegram, Pavel Durov, was part of an independent investigation rather than a political move.
 Telegram founder and CEO Pavel Durov (Photo: TechCrunch)
|
On the X social network, Macron said it’s up to the judges to rule on the matter. The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights said it had heard about the arrest of Durov but could not comment at the moment.
Durov, a 39-year-old Russian billionaire who has citizenship in France, the United Arab Emirates, and the Caribbean Island nation of St. Kitts and Nevis, was arrested in Paris last weekend on charges that his platform lacks moderation measures.
Telegram said the French Interior Ministry and police haven’t yet made an official comment on the incident.
The TASS news agency quoted a statement from the Russian Foreign Ministry that the Russian Embassy in France is taking steps to clarify the arrest of Durov.