The Arrest of Telegram Creator Is an Assault on Human Rights: Snowden
Pavel Durov. Photo: X/ @jacksonhinklle
August 25, 2024 Hour: 2:59 pm
Pavel Durov’s arrests ‘lowers no only France, but the world,’ stated the former CIA analyst.
On Sunday, former CIA analyst Edward Snowden criticised French President Emmanuel Macron for the arrest of Pavel Durov, the creator of the encrypted messaging network Telegram.
RELATED:
France Detained Pavel Durov to Shut Down Telegram: Russia
“The arrest of Durov is an assault on the basic human rights of speech and association,” the former CIA agent wrote on the social network X.
“I am surprised and deeply saddened that Macron has descended to the level of taking hostages as a means for gaining access to private communications,” he added.
Durov’s arrests “lowers no only France, but the world,” stated Snowden, who rarely makes public statements.
The former CIA agent, who received Russian citizenship in September 2022, has lived in Russia since 2013, when he revealed details of US spying programmes.
Durov was arrested last night as he disembarked from his private plane on the runway at Paris-Le Bourget airport, coming from Azerbaijan. This 39-year-old Franco-Russian billionaire was the subject of an arrest warrant issued by the Office for Minors (OFMIN) of the National Directorate of Criminal Investigation.
The French courts maintain that the lack of moderation on Telegram and Durov’s failure to cooperate with the authorities, together with the tools that the platform offers, such as disposable numbers and encryption, make him complicit in crimes such as drug trafficking, paedophilia, and fraud.
teleSUR/ JF Source: EFE
