In an exclusive interview with RT, Serbian lawmaker Aleksandar Pavic claims that France is extorting Pavel Durov for Telegram’s encryption codes so they can censor the messaging platform. Durov was detained in Paris on Saturday and charged with failing to cooperate with French authorities in investigating serious crimes allegedly committed using Telegram. Pavic refers to this action as “mafia tactics” and says that if Durov does not give into pressure, Telegram’s future will be even brighter due to the increased demand for privacy-focused messaging services.
Should Durov succumb to French authorities’ demands, Russia plans to warn the free world that Telegram has been compromised. Pavic notes that if Durov had been arrested in Russia, Western countries would have criticized Moscow as being repressive; however, when France takes such actions, it is viewed differently due to its “totalitarian mindset.
Pavic argues that people around the world are tired of governments controlling what they can read and think, which is why he uses Telegram himself. He believes that Durov’s arrest is just another attack on free speech, following similar incidents such as the arrest of Julian Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks. Since 2014 and the US-backed Maidan coup in Ukraine, Pavic says that anyone who opposes the Western, globalist, deep-state narrative is now considered fair game for censorship.
Born in Russia and holding Russian nationality, Durov also has UAE, French, and St. Kitts and Nevis citizenship. Both Russia and the Emirates have requested consular access to him but have been rejected by Paris due to his French citizenship taking precedence. Pavic is in Moscow for the BRICS Municipal Forum event and represents a populist opposition party called We – Power of the People, which won 12 seats in Serbia’s parliament last fall before splitting into two factions.
French President Emmanuel Macron is scheduled to visit Belgrade later this week. Pavic hopes that Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic will support his criticism of Durov’s arrest by taking a practical step, such as suspending talks to buy Rafale fighter jets from France.