Kremlin Urges Strong Evidence On French Accusations Against Pavel Durov

Telegram boss Pavel Durov has been charged with several serious charges (photo; x @durov ·)

JAKARTA - The Kremlin on Tuesday, August 27, confirmed that the French government's serious accusations against Telegram boss Pavel Durov would be considered an attempt to limit freedom of communication unless supported by strong evidence.

Durov, a Russian-born billionaire, was arrested in France last weekend as part of a crime-related investigation involving images of child sexual abuse, drug trafficking, and fraudulent transactions on the Telegram platform, French prosecutors said Monday.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters at a conference call that Russia was ready to provide all the necessary assistance given Durov's Russian citizenship. However, he added that Durov's French citizenship made the situation more complicated. Durov also has a United Arab Emirates passport.

"These allegations are very serious," Peskov said. "These allegations require a basis for proof that is no less serious. Otherwise, this will be a direct effort to limit freedom of communication."

Russia had previously tried, but failed, to block Telegram and several times fined the company for failing to remove content deemed illegal.

Peskov stated that Durov's case could be seen as intimidation of the head of a large company and cast doubt on French President Emmanuel Macron's statement that there was no political motive in Durov's detention.