Elon Musk Criticizes Telegram CEO Pavel Durov's Arrest

Telegram CEO Pavel Durov. (Twitter.com/@shaunmmaguire)

JAKARTA - World's richest man Elon Musk criticized the arrest of Telegram CEO Pavel Durov in France. The Tesla boss also voiced free speech.

"This is 2030 and in Europe, you are on trial for liking memes," Musk wrote posting a sarcastic tweet on Sunday, August 25 on his social network X.

He also uploaded news about Telegram CEO Durov being caught.

Elon Musk stressed the importance of protecting freedom of expression, which is guaranteed under the First Amendment of the US. He opposed Europe's approach.

Elon Musk also shared the video of the Telegram CEO's statement with the hashtag #FreeDurov. He also re-shared a user X post entitled "France supports crime, against freedom".

Meanwhile, American commentator Tucker Carlson, who interviewed Durov, said the Telegram CEO was arrested for refusing to censor the truth. "Pavel Durov is in prison in France tonight, a real warning to any platform owner who refuses to censor the truth at the behest of the government and intelligence agencies," he wrote on X.

France arrested Durov at an airport on the outskirts of Paris on Saturday, August 24, upon arrival from Azerbaijan on a private plane. This was based on an arrest warrant as part of an initial police investigation.

OFMIN, a French institution responsible for preventing violence against minors, issued an arrest warrant against Durov. The institute accused Telegram of not having enough moderators and lack of cooperation with authorities.

Police believe the situation above and Telegram encryption features have allowed relentless criminal activity to lead to Durov being considered an accomplice to drug trafficking, cyber violence, fraud, organized crimes, sedition, and terrorism.

Durov, 39, has Russian citizenship, French, UAE, and Saint Kitts and Nevis. He is estimated to face a sentence of up to 20 years in prison.

The TASS news agency reported on the same day that the Russian embassy in France asked for consular access to Durov and asked for guarantees of its rights. But the French government has so far refused to cooperate.