Dubai [UAE], August 26: The United Arab Emirates (UAE) on August 27 offered consular protection to the founder and CEO of the Telegram social platform Pavel Durov after he was arrested in France.
In a statement, the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs said: "The UAE is closely following the case of citizen Pavel Durov, founder of Telegram , who was arrested by French authorities at Paris-Le Bourget International Airport. The UAE has sent a request to the Government of the French Republic to provide Mr. Durov with all necessary consular services on an urgent basis."
Mr. Durov (40 years old), founder and CEO of the Telegram application, was arrested upon landing at the airport in France at around 8:00 p.m. on August 24 (local time) for investigation on charges of not restricting users from spreading illegal content on this platform with over 900 million users.
Telegram has denied the allegations. "Telegram complies with EU law , including the Digital Services Act , and its moderation practices are within industry standards. It is absurd to suggest that a platform or its owners should be held responsible for abuse of that platform," Telegram said.
French President Emmanuel Macron on August 26 denied that there was a political element in Mr. Durov's arrest. This is Mr. Macron's first official opinion on the case that is causing controversy around the world .
After the news that the detention of technology billionaire Pavel Durov was extended until August 28. Reuters on August 27 quoted Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov as saying that the relationship between Moscow and Paris had reached its lowest point.
Pavel Durov was born in Russia and currently holds both UAE and French citizenship. Forbes magazine estimates his fortune at $15.5 billion.
Source: Thanh Nien Newspaper
