Tatyana Moskalkova has blasted the arrest of Pavel Durov because the violation of free speech
The French authorities have arrested Telegram founder Pavel Durov as a result of they need to shut down the censorship-free platform, Russia’s high human rights official, Tatyana Moskalkova, has stated.
The Russian-born tech mogul was arrested after his personal jet landed on the Paris-Le Bourget on Saturday. Whereas the French authorities promised to make an official assertion on Monday, native media reported that prosecutors imagine that Durov had didn’t curb using his platform by criminals.
Writing on Telegram on Sunday, Moskalkova argued that “the true motive behind Pavel Durov’s arrest is an try to shut down Telegram, the platform the place you’ll find the reality about world affairs.” Subsequently, the persecution of Durov angeres “everybody who helps the liberty of speech and the creation of the multipolar world,” she added.
In a separate publish, Moskalkova condemned Durov’s detention as “one other gross violation of the liberty of speech.”
“It’s one other obvious instance of double requirements in terms of the respect of elementary human rights by international locations that reward democracy however, in actuality, are in search of to crush it,” she wrote. “As an alternative of preventing crime, discrimination, and different human rights violations, they need whole management over expression of opinions.”
Moskalkova described Durov as a person who had “created an easy-to-use, easy and accessible instrument for communication between individuals all around the world, a channel for the speedy unfold of data that’s free from censorship.”
Telegram issued a press release on Sunday, saying that the corporate was following EU legal guidelines and content-moderation insurance policies. It argued that it was “absurd” to say that Durov was accountable for the misuse of the platform by dangerous actors. Earlier this yr, Telegram appointed a Belgian authorized consultant to make sure EU compliance.
Durov has persistently refused to offer customers’ information to the authorities or set up a so-called surveillance “backdoor,” and spoke publicly in regards to the stress he confronted from the US. He was additionally vocal about his disagreements with the Russian authorities, which contributed to his determination to go away Russia within the 2010s and transfer to the UAE.
Nonetheless, many Russian politicians condemned Durov’s arrest, with some suggesting that it might be politically motivated. A number of public figures within the West, together with journalist Tucker Carlson and entrepreneur Elon Musk additionally spoke in protection of Durov.
