Durov, a Russian-born French-Emirati citizen, was arrested late Saturday night time and remains to be being held as a part of an investigation into allegations of kid pornography, drug trafficking and arranged crime on the Telegram messaging platform, the Paris prosecutor’s workplace mentioned.
French President Emmanuel Macron mentioned Monday that it was “under no circumstances a political determination” to arrest Durov.
Peskov added that Russia hopes “Mr. Durov could have all the mandatory alternatives for his authorized protection. In fact, given his Russian citizenship, we’re prepared to offer all the mandatory help and assist. However the scenario is difficult by the truth that he’s additionally a French citizen.”
The United Arab Emirates earlier requested the French authorities for consular entry to Durov. The Telegram CEO will be held in police custody in Paris till Aug. 28.
Peskov additionally denied reviews that the Kremlin ordered officers to delete their Telegram chat historical past after Durov’s arrest and mentioned they’re not meant to make use of messenger apps for official enterprise within the first place.
“Purging communications is utter stupidity. Officers mustn’t use messengers for official functions. No messenger is dependable by way of data safety — not even Telegram. […] Due to this fact, in fact, nobody is asking anybody to wash something,” Peskov mentioned.
Telegram is approaching 1 billion customers worldwide and is a key communication instrument for political dissidents, gangsters and criminals — and on the battlefields of jap Ukraine.
