This is not a political decision, French President Emmanuel Macron was seen defending the arrest of Telegram CEO

French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday dismissed rumors surrounding the arrest of Telegram CEO Pavel Durov at an airport outside Paris on August 24. Macron insisted the arrest was part of a “judicial investigation” and not a “political decision.”

In a social media post, Macron wrote, ‘I have also seen some fake news related to the arrest of the CEO of Telegram. France is fully committed to freedom of expression. France is fully committed to freedom of expression and communication, innovation and the spirit of innovation, and it will remain so.’

President Macron said that the French judiciary is deeply rooted in the rule of law and its independence is maintained within the legal framework to ensure the protection of citizens and respect for their fundamental rights in the state.

This matter completely depends on the judiciary.

He further said in the post, “It is up to the judiciary to implement the law with complete freedom. This is not a political decision in any way. It is up to the judges to decide on this matter.”

Although there was no official confirmation that Durov was detained on Saturday, this led to speculation about the reasons behind his detention.

According to a Reuters report, Durov is being investigated by the National Cybercrime and Fraud Offices for not cooperating with cyber and financial crimes on Telegram, a popular messaging and social media app similar to WhatsApp. The spokesperson said he is still in custody.

According to the report, tensions between France and Russia have been rising for several months. French officials have accused Russia of trying to destabilise their country ahead of the Paris Olympics because of its aggressive stance on the Ukraine war. However, Russia denies these claims.

Meanwhile, the arrest of Telegram CEO has created a stir in the tech world and Russia as many prominent faces have called his arrest “illegal. In a Telegram post, calling France a “liberal dictatorship”, Russian Senator Alexei Pushkov said, ‘The country does not tolerate people claiming freedom.’