President Macron Ensures France Is Committed To Freedom Of Expression After Pavel Durov's Arrest

French President Emmanuel Macron. (Wikimedia Commons/IAEA Imagebank)

JAKARTA - President Emmanuel Macron confirmed France's commitment to freedom of expression and communication, following Pavel Durov's arrest.

That was conveyed by President Macron, after assessing that there was misinformation about France, after the arrest of one of the founders of the Telegram messaging application.

"France is very committed to freedom of expression and communication, in innovation and in the spirit of entrepreneurship," he said, launching TASS August 27.

"In a country governed by legal rules, freedom is enforced within the legal framework, both on social media and in real life, to protect citizens and respect their basic rights," he explained.

He emphasized that the arrest was part of an ongoing court investigation, not a political decision.

"It is up to the court, with full independence, to enforce the law," added President Macron.

On the night of August 24, Durov was detained at France's Le Bourget airport. The law enforcement agency suspected he was involved in drug trafficking, crimes against minors and fraud amid a lack of moderation of messaging apps, his refusal to cooperate with law enforcement, and tools provided by the app to sell cryptocurrencies, as reported by TF1.

Meanwhile, Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau said Durov was arrested as part of an investigation into an unnamed person launched by the office's cybercrime unit on July 8, quoted by Reuters.

The investigation is related to alleged involvement in various crimes including running an online platform that allows illicit transactions, child pornography, drug trafficking, and fraud, as well as refusal to convey information to authorities, money laundering and the provision of cryptographic services to criminals, the statement said.