2024-08-26 14:37:00
While Telegram boss Pavel Durov remains in police custody in France, the Kremlin tried on Monday ” inappropriate “ to comment on this arrest for the moment.
“We do not know specifically what Durov is accused of, we have not heard any official statements on this subject,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters, adding that “before saying anything, we must wait until the situation becomes clearer (…). Without this, it would probably be inappropriate to make any statements.”
As a reminder, the 39-year-old Franco-Russian billionaire was arrested Saturday evening in the Bourget airport terminal (Seine-Saint-Denis), coming from Baku (Azerbaijan), according to AFP. The Kremlin was questioned about this destination, while Russian President Vladimir Putin was himself in the Azeri capital at the beginning of last week. Moscow then claimed that Durov and Putin had not met there.
Shortly after this statement by Dmitri Peskov, in France, the President of the Republic himself, Emmanuel Macron, reacted, explaining that this arrest “is in no way a political decision » and that he “It is up to the judges to decide.”
Embassy denounces police custody, Musk too
“After the news of Pavel Durov’s detention appeared in the media, we immediately asked the French authorities for clarification on the reasons for his detention and demanded that his rights be protected and that he be granted consular access. To this day, the French side still refuses to cooperate on this issue. », had denounced theRussian Embassy in France on X (ex-Twitter), Sunday.
In Russia, where Telegram is one of the most widely used social networks with channels that can reach several hundred thousand subscribers – the limit being 200,000 – the spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Maria Zakharova, confirmed that “The Russian Embassy in Paris immediately got to work, as is customary.” in case of detention of Russian citizens abroad.
She also recalled that many international NGOs had condemned in 2018 the decision of a Russian court to block Telegram, a decision which was never fully implemented. “Do you think that this time they will call for Durov’s release, or will they keep quiet?”she asked on her Telegram page.
The arrest of Pavel Durov has sparked numerous reactions abroad. « #FreePavel »posted on X (ex-Twitter) Elon Musk, before posting a new message in French saying “Freedom. Freedom! Freedom?”Former independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr, who has just rallied to Donald Trump, told X that “The need to protect freedom of expression has never been more urgent”.
Extended police custody
Pavel Durov’s custody could last a maximum of 96 hours, after a first extension on Sunday evening. At the end of this custody, the Franco-Russian could be released or presented to a magistrate with a view to a possible indictment (charge). This arrest follows a search warrant issued against him by French investigators and targeting various offenses involving his email.
The Office for Combating Violence against Minors (Ofmin) had issued a search warrant against Pavel Durov for offences ranging from fraud to drug trafficking, cyberbullying, organised crime, advocating terrorism and fraud, explained one of the sources close to the case.
Concretely, the courts accuse Pavel Durov of being too lax on the social network and of a lack of moderation which leaves room for criminal use of the messaging service by his subscribers.
“Enough of Telegram’s impunity,” said one of the investigators, surprised that the billionaire, knowing that he was wanted in France, had decided to come to Paris anyway. “Perhaps out of a sense of impunity,” said one of the sources close to the case.
With its discussion groups that can accommodate up to 200,000 people, the messaging service is sometimes accused of increasing the viral potential of false information and the proliferation of hateful, neo-Nazi, pedophile, conspiracy or terrorist content.
(With AFP)
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