Russia warns France against intimidating Pavel Durov; Telegram CEO's custody extended till Aug 28
Pavel Durov
The Kremlin, on Tuesday (August 27) issued a sharp warning to France over the arrest of Telegram CEO Pavel Durov at a Paris airport last week. Labelling the charges against the Russian-born tech boss as "very serious," Moscowwarned the Parilagainst trying to intimidate him.
Durov, a Russian-born billionaire with dual citizenship in France and the United Arab Emirates as per reports, has been accused of allegedly failing to curb illegal content on Telegram, including child exploitation, drug trafficking, and fraudulent activities.
Politically motivated arrest or not?
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov suggested Durov's arrest was politically motivated, a charge denied by French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday (August 26).
Macron in a post on X, said that he was addressing "false information" concerning the case.
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He stressed that"the arrest of Telegram CEOon 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," Macronadded.
However, theKremlin spokesman suggested otherwise, reports AFP.
He said that the charges were "indeed very serious, they require no less serious evidence".
"Otherwise this would be a direct attempt to restrict freedom of communication, and, I might even say, directly intimidate the head of a large company," Peskov stated, adding, "That is to say, precisely the policy that Mr Macron denied yesterday."
Durov to be held in custody till Wednesday
The Kremlin's statement comes as reports suggest that the Telegram boss could be held in French custody for at least another day — till Wednesday (August 28). As per Reuters, French prosecutors said they had granted extra time for Pavel Durov's questioning.
The arrest has drawn additional attention due to the timing. Vyacheslav Volodin, chairman of Russia's State Duma, and a senior ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin has alleged that the United States was behind the arrest.
Also read |No 'political' motive behind Telegram CEO Pavel Durov's arrest, says French President Macron
Volodin, the chairman of Russia's lower house of parliament, alleged that America was seeking to exert control over Telegram ahead of the 2024 US presidential election.
"Telegram is one of the few and at the same time the largest Internet platform over which the United States has no influence," he said in a post.
"On the eve of the US presidential election, it is important for (President Joe) Biden to take Telegram under control," Volodin asserted.
(With inputs from agencies)
