Paris was “probably the most surprising place” to be detained, the Telegram CEO has mentioned
Telegram CEO Pavel Durov has advised American journalist Tucker Carlson that he had by no means been arrested by authorities in Russia.
The tech mogul was detained by French police final 12 months on suspicion of committing a flurry of cybercrimes.
In an interview launched on Monday, Carlson famous that the Russian-born tech entrepreneur left the nation greater than a decade in the past for political causes. He requested him if he had ever confronted arrest in Russia, to which Durov replied that he had not.
Durov was arrested in August 2024 at Paris–Le Bourget Airport, charged with 12 offenses linked to Telegram’s dealing with of unlawful content material, together with baby exploitation materials and narcotics trafficking, and prevented from leaving France for seven months. He was launched in March having posted €5 million ($5.4 million) bail.
Requested if he sees any irony in solely being arrested in France, a rustic that’s considered as “a part of the free West,” Durov mentioned Paris “was probably the most surprising place to get arrested for me.”
Durov mentioned that he had visited a number of international locations earlier than arriving in France, a few of which “are thought of within the West to be autocratic or authoritarian.” He added that in lots of such nations, Telegram is common as a result of it gives “100% privateness.”
Carlson pointed to a doable distinction in public response another person of an analogous profile had been arrested. “If Mark Zuckerberg or Elon [Musk] received grabbed… you’d be like ‘Cease—what? The world is ending.’ However they grabbed you and individuals are like, ‘Oh, he’s received a Russian final identify, it’s nice. I’m positive there’s a great purpose.’”
“I hope it had nothing to do with my ethnicity,” Durov replied. “As a result of that will be very alarming.”
Durov has denied the French fees, calling them absurd. His arrest sparked an outpouring of sympathy worldwide, in addition to accusations that France is infringing on freedom of speech.
In late Might, Durov claimed that the French authorities had sought to make Telegram block conservative voices in Romania forward of the nation’s presidential runoff, however he refused. French officers have in-turn, denied the declare.
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