August 27, (THEWILL) – The United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Russia, have demanded consular access to detained Telegram CEO, Pavel Durov.
Durov was detained on Saturday, at Le Bourget airport in Paris, over alleged refusal to cooperate in the investigation of crimes related to the instant Messaging app, Telegram.
The crimes are part of a judicial inquiry opened last month involving 12 alleged criminal violations, including complicity in selling child sexual abuse material and in drug trafficking, fraud, abetting organised crime transactions and refusing to share information or documents with investigators when required by law.
The UAE’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Tuesday that it was “closely following” Durov’s case and had “submitted a request to the French government to provide him with all consular services urgently.”
Russia’s embassy in Paris had earlier referred a note to the French foreign ministry demanding consular access to Durov, the TASS news agency quoted Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman, Maria Zakharova, as saying.
Meanwhile, a French investigative judge has extended police custody for Durov, prosecutors said on Tuesday.
A statement from the Paris prosecutor’s office said Durov’s police custody order was extended on Monday evening, for up to 48 hours. After that, authorities must release or charge him, the prosecutor’s office said in an earlier statement.
Durov is a citizen of Russia, France, the United Arab Emirates and the Caribbean island nation of St. Kitts and Nevis.
Russian government officials have expressed outrage at his detention, with some calling it politically motivated and proof of the West’s double standard on freedom of speech. The outcry has raised eyebrows among Kremlin critics because, in 2018, Russian authorities themselves tried to block Telegram but failed, withdrawing the ban in 2020.
On Monday, French President, Emmanuel Macron, said that Durov’s arrest was not a political move but part of an independent investigation.
Macron posted on X that his country “is deeply committed” to freedom of expression but “freedoms are upheld within a legal framework, both on social media and in real life, to protect citizens and respect their fundamental rights.”
Telegram, which says it has nearly a billion users worldwide, was founded by Durov and his brother after he himself faced pressure from the Russian authorities.
