• The UAE has made an urgent request for consular assistance following the arrest of the Telegram founder. 

  • Pavel Durov is garnering public support including tech leaders like Elon Musk and Paul Graham.

The United Arab Emirates has requested the French government to provide Telegram founder Pavel Durov with all consular services urgently following his arrest in Paris.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated, 

“Caring for citizens, preserving their interests, following up on their affairs, and providing them with all the aspects of care are a top priority for the UAE.”

Pavel Durov, a UAE citizen was recently detained at Le Bourget airport in Paris by French authorities when he got off the private plane on the evening of August 24. He was included in the French wanted list and got detained unexpectedly. The French authorities allege that the Telegram platform refused to cooperate with the country’s regulations.

The French media has reported that Durov was detained due to alleged issues with Telegram’s content moderation. They claimed that his messaging app Telegram was used for money laundering, drug trafficking, and other offenses.

Emmanuel Macron, the President of France has made an official tweet on X stating that this arrest was not a political move of France. He says that France is a country that is deeply committed to freedom of expression and communication. And he said that,

 “It is up to the judiciary, in full independence, to enforce the law”.

Pavel Durov is Gaining People’s Support

The arrest has caused controversy among people and officials. Many Tech leaders have voiced their opinions on his arrest. From Elon Musk to Paul Graham,  several figures have expressed their concerns over the attack. #FREEDUROV has been trending for the last two days. Many people see this as an action that undermines the right to privacy and freedom of speech. The exact charges are still unclear.

Pavel has also been vocal about government interference within Telegram on multiple occasions. He said that the FBI is trying to infiltrate Telegram by hiring an engineer to create a backdoor for accessing user data, which Telegram opposes for private reasons. 

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