In no way a political decision: French President Emmanuel Macron defends Telegram CEO Pavel Durov’s arrest

French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday dismissed rumours surrounding the arrest of Telegram CEO Pavel Durov, which took place at an airport outside Paris on August 24. Macron emphasised that the arrest was part of an “ongoing judicial investigation” and not a “political decision”.

Addressing the issue on X, Macron wrote, “I have seen false information regarding France following the arrest of Pavel Durov. France is deeply committed to freedom of expression and communication, to innovation, and to the spirit of entrepreneurship. It will remain so.”

Maintaining that France’s judiciary is deeply rooted, President Macron said that freedoms are upheld within a legal framework, in a state governed by the rule of law, to protect citizens and respect their fundamental rights.

“It is up to the judiciary, in full independence, to enforce the law. It is in no way a political decision. It is up to the judges to rule on the matter,” he further tweeted.

Although Durov was taken into custody on Saturday, the reasons for his arrest are not yet ascertained by the Paris prosecutor.

Meanwhile, the Telegram CEO’s arrest has created ripples in the tech world and in Russia as prominent voices called his arrest “illegal”. In a Telegram post, calling France a “liberal dictatorship”, Russian senator Alexei Pushkov said that the country does not tolerate people claiming freedom.