Telegram founder and CEO Pavel Durov
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Russia warned France on Tuesday concerning the detention of Pavel Durov, the chief government and founding father of messaging app Telegram, suggesting the transfer may very well be politically motivated.
On Saturday, the Paris prosecutor’s workplace A warrant is issued for the arrest of Durov An investigation was launched on July 8 into organized crime, drug trafficking, fraud and the distribution of pornographic pictures of minors on the platform.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov spoke to reporters on Tuesday and urged Paris to offer proof to assist its fees in opposition to Durov, based on Reuters and Russian state information company TASS.
“These accusations are certainly very severe,” Peskov instructed reporters, based on feedback translated by Reuters. “They require an equally severe proof base. In any other case, they are going to be a direct try to limit freedom of communication.”
In line with Reuters and TASS information businesses, Peskov mentioned that if France fails to offer severe proof proving Durov’s guilt, Durov’s arrest could also be thought to be a restriction of free speech and an act of intimidation.
Though Durov was born in Russia, he holds French and Emirati citizenship. Nevertheless, Peskov mentioned Russia nonetheless thought-about him a citizen and that the nation stood prepared to offer him with needed help – though Peskov acknowledged the state of affairs was sophisticated.
Tuesday, UAE said in a statement It has requested French officers to offer “pressing” diplomatic help to Durov and is “following the case carefully”.
Durov, 39, is one in all Russia’s most distinguished tech billionaires. He based Telegram in 2013, selling it as an uncensored, impartial platform that may very well be utilized by individuals from all walks of life and with completely different viewpoints.
Durov’s internet value is estimated to be roughly $15.5 billion. According to Forbesmaking him the 121st richest individual on the earth.
Russia blocked entry to Telegram in 2018 and fined the corporate a number of occasions for failing to take away allegedly unlawful content material. In 2020, Russia restored entry to Telegram, sparking hypothesis that Telegram could have ties to the Russian authorities – What Telegram denies.
social media apps, 800 million users worldwidesure Widely used in Russiaand in Ukraine. The app is utilized by authorities officers and the army on each side of the Russia-Ukraine warfare.
In line with a number of media reviews, Durov visited Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, earlier than arriving at Le Bourget Airport in France on a non-public aircraft. CNBC couldn’t independently verify this.
There was hypothesis that he would meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin, however Peskov tell the bbc The assembly by no means occurred.
Russia’s warning to France comes as relations between the 2 international locations proceed to bitter amid Putin’s ongoing incursions into Ukraine. In April, Emmanuel Macron, Ukraine’s foremost supporter amongst Western leaders, mentioned that with out reforms to assist defend Ukraine, “our Europe might perish”.
“The principle hazard to European safety is the warfare in Ukraine,” Macron mentioned in a speech on the time.
—CNBC’s Ying Shan Lee and Natasha Turak contributed to this report
