3 weeks ago
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President Emmanuel Macron connected Monday denied immoderate governmental nexus to the apprehension of Telegram laminitis Pavel Durov arsenic the tech tycoon spent a 2nd time successful French custody pursuing his astonishment apprehension astatine a Paris airport.
Numerous questions person been raised astir the timing and circumstances of Durov’s detention, which a root adjacent to the lawsuit said had been extended until Wednesday.
The 39-year-old billionaire is accused of failing to curb the dispersed of amerciable contented connected Telegram, which has implicit 900 cardinal users. The institution has rejected the accusations.
Born successful Soviet times into a household of academics successful Leningrad, present known arsenic Saint Petersburg, Durov spent his puerility successful Italy earlier gathering up Russia’s past biggest societal web VKontakte (VK) successful his aboriginal 20s.
He acceptable up Telegram aft leaving Russia a decennary ago, and Forbes mag estimates his existent luck astatine $15.5 billion.
In a station connected X to code what helium called “false information” concerning the case, Macron said Durov’s apprehension “took spot arsenic portion of an ongoing judicial investigation”.
“It is successful nary mode a governmental decision. It is up to the judges to regularisation connected the matter,” helium wrote successful a highly antithetic remark connected a ineligible case.
Durov holds a French passport successful summation to his Russian nationality.
– ‘Nothing to hide’ –
Late connected Monday, French authorities again extended his archetypal detention for questioning until Wednesday, according to a root adjacent to the investigation.
When the archetypal 96-hour questioning play ends, the investigating magistrate tin either escaped Durov oregon property charges and remand him successful custody.
Durov, who has been based successful Dubai successful caller years, arrived successful Paris from the Azerbaijani superior Baku, and was readying to person meal successful the French capital, a root adjacent to the lawsuit said.
He was accompanied by a bodyguard and a idiosyncratic adjunct who ever question with him, added the source, asking not to beryllium named.
One cardinal question is wherefore Durov flew into France erstwhile helium would person apt been alert helium was wanted successful the country. “Perhaps helium had a feeling of impunity,” said 1 root adjacent to the case, asking not to beryllium named.
Russian President Vladimir Putin was successful Baku connected a authorities sojourn to Azerbaijan connected August 18 and 19, though Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov denied that the 2 had met.
Durov is accused of failing to instrumentality enactment to curb the transgression usage of his platform.
France’s OFMIN, an bureau tasked with preventing unit against minors, issued an apprehension warrant for Durov successful a preliminary probe into alleged offences including fraud, cause trafficking, cyberbullying, organised transgression and promotion of terrorism, different root said.
Telegram said successful effect that “Durov has thing to fell and travels often successful Europe”.
“Telegram abides by EU laws, including the Digital Services Act — its moderation is wrong manufacture standards,” it added.
“It is absurd to assertion that a level oregon its proprietor are liable for maltreatment of that platform.”
– ‘Enforce the law’ –
Telegram has positioned itself arsenic a “neutral” alternate to US-owned platforms, which person been criticised for their commercialized exploitation of users’ idiosyncratic data.
It besides plays a cardinal relation since Russia’s penetration of Ukraine, utilized actively by politicians and commentators connected some sides of the war.
But critics impeach it of hosting often amerciable contented ranging from utmost intersexual imagery to disinformation and besides narcotics services.
Kremlin spokesperson Peskov said Moscow had received nary accusation from France connected wherefore Durov was detained, saying “we bash not cognize concretely what Durov is accused of”.
Elon Musk, who leads the Tesla car radical and X, formerly Twitter, posted the hashtag #FreePavel connected his level and commented successful French, “Liberte Liberte! Liberte?” (Freedom Freedom! Freedom?).
Macron said that portion France is “deeply committed to state of look and communication”, specified freedoms are “upheld wrong a ineligible framework, some connected societal media and successful existent life”.
“It is up to the judiciary, successful afloat independence, to enforce the law,” helium said.
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