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France once again tramples on freedom of speech — Russian diplomat

Pavel Durov was detained at Le Bourget Airport outside Paris on August 24; his custody was extended to 96 hours the next day

MOSCOW, August 28. /TASS/. France has once again trampled on international norms in the sphere of protection of freedom of speech by detaining Telegram founder Pavel Durov, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said.

"All this (the situation with the detention of Durov - TASS) has once again shown the true attitude of the French authorities, who have trampled on international norms in the sphere of protection of freedom of speech and expression for one reason only: because if they protect some standards, they must not only meet them, but also protect and fulfill them," the diplomat said at a briefing.

At the same time, the spokeswoman emphasized that "official Paris hypocritically claims some kind of exceptionalism on issues of freedom of the press and equal access to information." "They keep invoking the French Revolution or the Age of Enlightenment and saying that they are the successors of these great ideas," she continued. "And what is left of those ideas? We see the complete opposite of the proclaimed ideals," Zakharova concluded.

Durov was detained at Le Bourget Airport outside Paris on August 24; his custody was extended to 96 hours the next day. The Paris prosecutor’s office suspects him of complicity in drug trafficking, fraud crimes against children committed through Telegram.

The Russian embassy in France said diplomats had demanded that Durov’s rights be protected and he be provided with consular access. "So far, the French authorities have been evading cooperation on the matter," the embassy added.

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