ALBAWABA - Telegram CEO and billionaire Pavel Durov made headlines after being arrested in Bourget airport, France after leaving his private jet. This comes after being targeted by an arrest warrant in the country, according to Reuters.
Users on X (formerly known as Twitter) claim that the Telegram CEO was arrested for failing to abide by censorship laws and enabling freedom of speech on his chatting and video-sharing platform. One user wrote, "His “crime” appears to enable free speech online."
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On the other hand, according to the Jerusalem Post, other than failing to comply with France's censorship laws, Durov was also reportedly accused of crimes including fraud, money laundering, receiving stolen goods, and the possession of narcotic supplies.
An investigator said that they were surprised that Durov traveled to Paris since he's a wanted man in the country. They also added, "Enough of Telegram's impunity."
According to The Guardian, Russia's Embassy in France is taking "immediate steps" to clarify the issue at hand since Durov Russian.
By the time of writing this article, Telegram had garnered more than 900 million users on its platform globally since its launch in 2013.
American commentator and writer, Tucker Carlson took to Durov's defense and warned other platforms that "refuse to censor the truth at the behest of governments and intel agencies."
He added in the caption after replying to his interview with Durov, "But in the end, it wasn’t Putin who arrested him for allowing the public to exercise free speech. It was a Western country, a Biden administration ally and enthusiastic NATO member, that locked him away."
