The arrest of Pavel Durov, founder of Telegramin France on Saturday night, the debate on moderation of content on social networks and freedom of expression has reopened. Personalities from the world of politics, such as the former Russian president Dmitri Medvedevor technology, such as Elon Muskhave criticised the European Union for allowing their detention, making him a political martyr. Also Puigdemont’s lawyer, Gonzalo Boyehas joined in the reproach.
Russian lawmaker Maria Butina on Sunday said Durov was a “political prisoner” of the West and that his arrest was part of a witch hunt which means freedom of expression is now “dead” in Europe.
Butina, who spent 15 months in prison in the US for acting as an unregistered Russian agent and is now a lawmaker for the United Russia party, said she believes Durov was arrested in an attempt by the West to gain control over Telegram.
“Now basically They have a hostage and will try to blackmail Russia“They will try to blackmail all Telegram users and not only try to gain control, but also try to block the network here in Russia,” he said.
Dmitry Medvedevfor its part, considered that “for all our common enemies now“He is Russian and therefore unpredictable and dangerous.”
In a post on the social network XElon Musk showed his support for the creator of Telegram ensuring that We live in “dangerous times” and considering it “vital to support freedom of expression” that posts from its social network be forwarded to people known, “especially in countries with a lot of censorship.”
He’s right
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 25, 2024
Durov, who currently has a fortune estimated at almost 14 billion euros according to Forbesfounded Telegram in Dubai after leaving Russia in 2014 for refusing to close opposition communities on his former platform VK, he is now being backed by the Kremlin as a ‘weapon’ against the West after the arrest.
Durov, who could spend years in prison, according to some Russian politicians, has citizenship of this countrybut also French and United Arab Emirates, passports she received in 2021.
Kremlin reaction
Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Maria Zakharovasaid that Moscow had sent a note to the French Foreign Ministry in order to gain access to Durov, who was born in Russia but lived in Dubai.
On her Telegram channel, Zakharova also called on leading Western non-governmental organizations to defend Durov.
Meanwhile, he added, “Durov remained free and continued developing Telegram,” ignoring the fact that the Russian businessman had to go into exile after receiving pressure to sell the Vkontakte network, the Russian Facebook.
Alson Russian Ombudsman Tatiana Moskalkova accused France today of arresting Pavel Durov, the creator of the encrypted messaging network Telegram, “in an attempt to shut down the platform where one can learn the truth about what is happening in the world.”
“The arrest of the founder of Telegram in France is a serious violation of the right to freedom of expression” and also a clear manifestation of “double standards towards the most basic human rights by A number of countries praise democracy and, in fact, They seek to trample it“, said.
Boye speaks of “coercion”
Among the reactions to Durov’s arrest at the Spanish level, Gonzalo Boye’s stands out, Carles Puigdemont’s lawyerwho has questioned the strategy behind this action by the French authorities. According to Boye, this strategy seeks present a dilemma between “more security or more freedom”and points out that, in his opinion, “without freedom, there is hardly any illusion of security left.”
The strategy behind the arrest of Pavel Durov, CEO of @telegram it is evident:
1.- Criminalize the platform’s activity based on the use that some of its users may make of it.
2.- Threaten the platform owner with severe prison sentences, and…
— Gonzalo Boye (@boye_g) August 25, 2024
In a message posted on the platform XBoye claimed that the purpose behind Durov’s arrest “it’s pretty clear” and bases it on three main objectives: among them “criminalize the platform’s actiondepending on the use that some of its users give it.”
Snowden: “Macron takes hostages”
He Former CIA analyst Edward Snowden condemned on Sunday the arrest in France of Pavel Durov, the creator of the encrypted messaging network Telegram.
“Durov’s arrest is an attack on the basic human rights of freedom of expression and association,” he wrote in X.
Snowden added: “I am shocked and deeply saddened that (French President Emmanuel) Macron has been lowered to the level of taking hostages as a means of accessing private messages“.
In his opinion, Durov’s arrest “undermines dignity” not only from France, but from all over the world.
Snowden, who also condemned the arrest of Belarusian opposition journalist Roman Protasovich in Minsk, whose authorities forced the RyanAir plane he was travelling on from Athens to Vilnius to land, He usually makes few public statements.
Lives in Russia since revealing details of US spying programs in 2013 and received citizenship in September 2022.
Telegram: “Nothing to hide”
Telegram defended its founder, Pavel Durov, claiming that he has “nothing to hide” and who frequently travels around Europe. In response to criticism, the company said it was absurd to blame a platform and its owner for misuse. They also said they comply with EU laws, including the Digital Services Act, and that their moderation follows industry standards with a constant commitment to improvement.
Reason for arrest
Billionaire Pavel Durov, creator of the popular messaging app Telegram, He was arrested on Saturday evening at Le Bourget airport.located on the outskirts of Paris.
The 39-year-old Franco-Russian billionaire was the subject of a French arrest warrant issued by the Office for Minors (OFMIN) of the National Directorate of Criminal Investigation on the basis of a preliminary investigation.
French courts say Telegram’s lack of moderation and Durov’s failure to cooperate with authorities, coupled with the platform’s tools such as disposable numbers and encryption, make him complicit in crimes such as drug trafficking, paedophilia and fraud.
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