Abu Dhabi requests French government to grant Telegram founder Pavel Durov consular access in UAE after arrest in Paris.
The Emirati Foreign Ministry has requested that the French government provide consular services for Telegram founder and CEO, Pavel Durov, following his arrest in Paris last week as part of an investigation into the illegal use of his social media app. Durov is a citizen of the UAE, France, and St. Kitts and Nevis.
The UAE is closely monitoring the case of its citizen Pavel Durov, founder of Telegram, who was arrested by French authorities at Paris-Le Bourget Airport,” the Foreign Ministry in Abu Dhabi stated on Tuesday. The Ministry added that it has submitted a request to the Government of the French Republic to provide him with all necessary consular services urgently. Ensuring the welfare of citizens is a key priority for the country, as emphasized by the statement.
Russia’s Foreign Ministry also requested consular access for Durov in Paris earlier, as reported by Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova. Durov was arrested at France’s Le Bourget Airport last Saturday “in connection with a judicial investigation” initiated on July 8. The probe includes various charges such as complicity in drug trafficking, fraud, money laundering, and child pornography distribution.
Durov will be questioned by French magistrates in coordination with France’s anti-cybercrime and anti-fraud offices. French President Emmanuel Macron denied any political motive behind the arrest, stating that it is up to France’s “completely independent” judiciary to decide the entrepreneur’s fate.
In a statement, Telegram said the app “abides by EU laws, including the Digital Services Act,” and that its “moderation practices are aligned with industry standards.” The company added that “it is absurd to claim that a platform or its owner is responsible for the misuse of that platform.
Telegram is a popular messaging app with nearly a billion users globally. It offers end-to-end encryption, enhancing privacy for both sender and recipient, and generally refuses to provide user data or chat records to law enforcement. Durov has previously stated that this commitment to user privacy has made him a target for intelligence agencies, claiming in an interview in April with American journalist Tucker Carlson that the FBI attempted to recruit one of his software engineers to create a backdoor in the app to allow them to spy on users.