Russian MFA calls on international organizations to condemn Durov’s detention in France

International organizations should deliver on their mandate to protect freedom of speech and condemn the detention of the Telegram messaging app’s founder, Pavel Durov, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said, Report informs referring to TASS.

"Tens of millions of social media users are outraged, the financial community and many independent public figures are in a state of shock, but neoliberal elites remain deathly silent," she said at a news conference. "Therefore, in this situation, the relevant international organizations are required to fulfill their mandate to protect freedom of speech and dissemination of information and condemn the actions of the French authorities to restrict them."

Durov was detained at the Le Bourget airport outside Paris on August 24. The next day his detention was extended to 96 hours. Prosecutor in Paris accuse him, among other things, of complicity in drug trafficking, crimes against children and fraud, essentially treating him as an associate of the people that commit these and other offenses using Telegram.

The Russian Embassy in France told TASS that it plans to protect Durov's rights and seek consular access to him, but "the French side has so far avoided engagement on this issue."