CEO of " Telegram" Pavel Durov was arrested as part of a judicial investigation and without political motives, French President Emmanuel Macron said today, Reuters reported, as quoted by BTA.
"In social networks, as in real life, freedoms are exercised within the framework of the law to protect citizens and respect their fundamental rights," Macron wrote on the "X" platform. At the same time, the French president condemned the spread of false information about Durov's arrest.
Durov, 39, was detained on Saturday at Bourget airport outside Paris, shortly after landing there on a private plane from Azerbaijan. Macron's post is the first official French statement, almost two days after Durov was arrested.
"The arrest of the president of "Telegram" on French territory was carried out as part of an ongoing judicial investigation," Macron wrote. "This is in no way a political decision. It depends on what the judges will decide," he added.
A French police spokesman told Reuters that Durov was being investigated by the national cybercrime and fraud services for failing to cooperate with an investigation into cyber and financial crimes on the social network and messaging app Telegram.
He is still in custody, the police spokesman said.