Telegram CEO, Pavel Durov’s detention by police in Paris has continued to cause uproar as the United Arab Emirates, UAE, request that the French government grant consular access.
Durov, a Russian-born citizen with French and Emirati nationality, was taken into custody on Saturday night.
The Paris prosecutor’s office disclosed that Durov was taken into custody as part of an investigation into allegations of child pornography, drug trafficking, and organized crime on the Telegram platform.
Read Also: French Authorities Nab Telegram Founder Pavel Durov
UAE foreign ministry’s Director of Strategic Communications, Afra Al-Hameli who made the urgent call on X said;
“The UAE is closely following the case of its citizen Pavel Durov, founder of Telegram, who was arrested by the French authorities in Paris–Le Bourget Airport.
Al-Hameli added that: “The UAE has submitted a request to the Government of the French Republic to provide him with all the necessary consular services in an urgent manner.”
The arrest has sparked widespread international condemnation, with high-profile figures like Elon Musk speaking out against Durov’s detention.
French President Emmanuel Macron has denied that the arrest was politically motivated, stressing that it was a necessary measure.
With Telegram nearing a billion global users, the platform has become a crucial tool for various groups, including political dissidents, criminal organizations, and combatants in eastern Ukraine.
