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Pavel Durov's detention

French politician slams charges against Durov as insane

According to Florian Phillipot, this is "a war on freedom of expression in general"

PARIS, August 26. /TASS/. A French politician has slammed charges brought against Telegram messenger founder Pavel Durov as insane as such charges can be used against any manager of any social network.

"Any social network’s manager can be flung into prison on such insane charges," the leader of the French party The Patriots, Florian Philippot, told TASS. "It shows that freedom of speech is at gunpoint."

According to Phillipot, this is "a war on freedom of expression in general."

Durov was detained at Paris’ Le Bourget Airport late on August 24. Law enforcement agencies suspect him of being complicit in drug trafficking, crimes against minors and fraud amid the messenger’s lack of moderation, its refusal to cooperate with law enforcement, and the tools provided by the application to sell cryptocurrency.

Meanwhile, Russia’s embassy in France told TASS that it would take efforts to ensure that Durov’s rights are duly observed and would demand consular access for the billionaire. The French side, according to the embassy, "is evading cooperation on this matter." Durov also holds a French passport.

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