The French president has insisted that the detention of the Telegram founder is due to an ongoing judicial investigation and is not political
French President Emmanuel Macron has denied any political motive for Saturday’s arrest of Telegram founder and CEO Pavel Durov in Paris.
Writing on X on Monday, Macron insisted that Durov’s arrest “is in no way a political decision” and took place as part of “an ongoing judicial investigation” in which the judges will ultimately decide the entrepreneur’s fate.
“France is more than anything attached to freedom of expression and communication, to innovation and to the spirit of enterprise,” Macron wrote, adding that “in a state governed by the rule of law, on social networks as in real life, freedoms are exercised within a framework established by law to protect citizens and respect their fundamental rights.”
“It is up to the justice system, in complete independence, to ensure that the law is respected,” the president said.