Moscow addresses foreign NGOs over Telegram founder’s arrest

When the messaging app had legal issues in Russia, Pavel Durov remained free, the foreign ministry’s spokeswoman noted

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova is asking if international human rights groups will pressure France in response to the arrest of Telegram founder and CEO Pavel Durov, given the harsh criticism they levied at Russia several years ago, when it tried to regulate the messaging app’s operations.

According to French media, the Russian-born entrepreneur was detained at Paris-Le Bourget Airport on Saturday and is set to appear in court on Sunday evening. The French authorities had reportedly issued an arrest warrant for Durov, arguing that insufficient moderation allows for Telegram to be widely used by criminals.

Zakharova, who took to Telegram on Sunday, recalled how in 2018 a group of 28 NGOs, including Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, Freedom House and Reporters Without Borders, condemned a Russian court decision to block Telegram in the country.

Those NGOs demanded that Moscow “stop creating obstacles to Telegram’s operations” at the time and guarantee the rights of users to publish and anonymously consume information online, she wrote.

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US is behind Durov’s arrest – senior Russian official

They called upon the UN, the Council of Europe, the OSCE (Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe), the EU, the US and other governments to resist Russia’s actions and protect the fundamental rights of freedom of expression and privacy, the spokeswoman recalled.

Zakharova reminded the NGOs that Moscow had legal issues with Telegram over the technical parameters of its encryption system, like many other countries. “Meanwhile, Durov remained free all this time, continuing to develop Telegram,” she stressed.

"What do you think, will they [the NGOs] appeal to Paris this time and demand Durov’s release, or will they swallow their tongues?” the spokeswoman asked her audience.

Facebook, Instagram and X (formerly Twitter) were blocked by court order in Russia after the escalation of the conflict between Moscow and Kiev in February 2022, but Telegram remains operational in the country.

READ MORE: Top Russian MP urges France to release Telegram founder Durov

Earlier, the deputy speaker of the Russian parliament, Vladislav Davankov, called upon France to release Durov. The tech entrepreneur’s arrest “could be politically motivated and used to gain access to the personal information of Telegram users,” which Moscow cannot allow, he wrote in a post on Telegram.