According to Cointelegraph, Telegram founder Pavel Durov has spoken publicly for the first time since his arrest in France in August.
Durov expressed surprise at the French authorities’ arrest, saying Telegram has legal representation in France that handles all regulatory requests and inquiries.
As a French citizen, Durov also pointed out that French authorities had multiple ways to contact him without resorting to law enforcement, and said he was a frequent visitor to the French Consulate in Dubai.
Durov stressed that Telegram is ready to leave jurisdictions that are unfriendly to its mission of free speech. “We are ready to leave markets that are incompatible with our principles because we are not doing this for money. We are doing this to bring goodwill and to defend people’s fundamental rights, especially where these rights are violated,” he said.
