French authorities want to ‘shut down’ Telegram – Russian human rights chief

The French authorities have arrested Telegram founder Pavel Durov because they want to shut down the censorship-free platform, Russia’s top human rights official, Tatyana Moskalkova, has said.

The Russian-born tech mogul was arrested after his private jet landed at the Paris-Le Bourget on Saturday. While the French authorities promised to make an official statement on Monday, local media reported that prosecutors believe that Durov had failed to curb the use of his platform by criminals.

Writing on Telegram on Sunday, Moskalkova argued that “the real reason behind Pavel Durov’s arrest is an attempt to shut down Telegram, the platform where you can find the truth about world affairs.” Therefore, the persecution of Durov angeres “everyone who supports the freedom of speech and the creation of the multipolar world,” she added.

In a separate post, Moskalkova condemned Durov’s detention as “another gross violation of the freedom of speech.”

“It is another glaring example of double standards when it comes to the respect of fundamental human rights by countries that praise democracy but, in reality, are seeking to crush it,” she wrote. “Instead of fighting crime, discrimination, and other human rights violations, they want total control over expression of opinions.”

Moskalkova described Durov as a man who had “created an easy-to-use, simple and accessible tool for communication between people all over the world, a channel for the rapid spread of information that is free from censorship.”

Telegram issued a statement on Sunday, saying that the company was following EU laws and content-moderation policies. It argued that it was “absurd” to claim that Durov was responsible for the misuse of the platform by bad actors. Earlier this year, Telegram appointed a Belgian legal representative to ensure EU compliance.

Durov has consistently refused to provide users’ data to the authorities or install a so-called surveillance “backdoor,” and spoke publicly about the pressure he faced from the US. He was also vocal about his disagreements with the Russian government, which contributed to his decision to leave Russia in the 2010s and move to the UAE.

Nevertheless, many Russian politicians condemned Durov’s arrest, with some suggesting that it could be politically motivated. Multiple public figures in the West, including journalist Tucker Carlson and entrepreneur Elon Musk also spoke in defense of Durov.