Former US National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden and whistleblower accused French President Emmanuel Macron of "taking" Telegram CEO Pavel Durov "hostage" to gain backdoor access to the messaging program.

Snowden stated on X that his arrest was "an assault on the basic human rights of speech and association. I am surprised and deeply saddened that Macron has descended to the level of taking hostages as a means for gaining access to private communications. It lowers not only France, but the world."

The arrest of @Durov is an assault on the basic human rights of speech and association. I am surprised and deeply saddened that Macron has descended to the level of taking hostages as a means for gaining access to private communications. It lowers not only France, but the world.

— Edward Snowden (@Snowden) August 25, 2024

Following the arrest of Telegram messaging platform creator Pavel Durov, the Russian embassy in France accused French authorities on Sunday of "refusing to cooperate."

The billionaire co-founder and CEO of Telegram was arrested at Le Bourget airport near Paris on Saturday evening, according to TF1 TV. Durov, who was traveling from Azerbaijan on his private jet, was detained around 8 pm local time due to an outstanding arrest warrant in France.

According to French media, this comes as part of a preliminary police investigation.

The 39-year-old Russian-born entrepreneur has been residing in Dubai and holds dual citizenship in France and the UAE.

The leader of France's Les Patriotes party, Florian Philippot, blasted President Emmanual Macron's government as one of "lunatics" after authorities arrested Durov. 

According to Philippot, France offered "its tyrannical face to the world" after its detention of Durov, who added, "We should free ourselves from these lunatics." 

Incroyable ! ⤵️

À l’aéroport du Bourget, le PDG et fondateur du réseau social #Telegram a été arrêté cette nuit par la police française, mis en détention provisoire et risque 20 ans de prison !

Pourquoi ? « Pour absence de modération, de coopération avec les forces de l’ordre,… pic.twitter.com/zPIspVnKLT

— Florian Philippot (@f_philippot) August 25, 2024

Russian officials respond to Durov's arrest

Ekaterina Mizulina, head of Russia’s Safe Internet League, said that the French authorities’ decision to detain Pavel Durov was not made independently, noting that "It is obvious that the arrest is an attack on TON (a blockchain-based platform originally developed by Telegram’s creators) in which major Russian companies have invested. 

Vladislav Davankov, the deputy speaker of the Russian parliament, urged France to release Durov, expressing concerns that the arrest might be politically driven and used as a means to gain access to Telegram users' personal data, a scenario that "Russia cannot allow".

Moreover, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova questioned whether international human rights groups would pressure France after its authorities detained Durov as they did when Russia proposed regulations for the platform's operations. 

Zakharova took to the Foreign Ministry's Telegram channel to recount a 2018 incident during which 28 non-governmental organizations, including Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, Freedom House, and Reporters Without Borders, launched a condemnation campaign against Russia over plans to ban the platform in the country. 

"What do you think, will they [the NGOs] appeal to Paris this time and demand Durov’s release, or will they swallow their tongues?" she questioned.