The Kremlin said Tuesday that France had leveled “very serious” charges against Telegram CEO Pavel Durov, warning Paris against trying to intimidate Durov after the tech tycoon was arrested at a Paris airport last week.
French prosecutors have accused the 39-year-old billionaire of failing to tackle the spread of illegal content on Telegram, a charge his company denies.
On Monday (26/8), French President Emmanuel Macron denied that the arrests were politically motivated.
“The accusations are very serious and require no less serious evidence. Otherwise, this will be a direct attempt to restrict freedom of communication, and, I might even say, directly intimidate the heads of large companies,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.
“That is, the policy that Mr. Macron denied yesterday,” Peskov added.
Many questions have been raised about the timing and conditions of Durov's detention, which according to related sources has been extended until Wednesday (28/8).
Durov holds a French passport in addition to being a Russian citizen.
In its press release, Telegram said that its founders have “dual citizenship of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and France.”
The UAE said on Tuesday (August 27) that it had requested consular assistance for the billionaire and was following the developments in his case closely. (ah/rs)
