The Russian embassy in Paris has\u00a0demanded that the French government explain itself<\/strong>, and has so far said that French authorities are being uncooperative. The latest reports say Durov is expected to appear before a judge Sunday evening.<\/p>\n The embassy\u00a0said<\/a>\u00a0of the\u00a039-year-old Russian-born billionaire that “as soon as the news of Durov\u2019s arrest broke, we immediately addressed the French authorities for clarification on the reasons for it and\u00a0demanded that they ensure the protection of his rights and provide consular access to him<\/strong>.”<\/p>\n He not only has Russian citizenship by virtue of his birth there, but also holds dual citizenship in France and the UAE.<\/p>\n Russian diplomats say there has been no reply from Paris: “The French side has so far been avoiding cooperation on this issue,” a statement\u00a0said<\/a>. Russian lawmakers have gone so far as to say he is now a\u00a0“political prisoner”<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Russian member of parliament Maria Butina\u00a0said on Sunday<\/a>, “Pavel Durov is\u00a0a political prisoner<\/strong>\u00a0–\u00a0a victim of a witch-hunt by the West<\/strong>.<\/p>\n “The arrest of Pavel Durov means there is no freedom of speech – it means that freedom of speech in Europe is dead,” she continued. “Now basically they have a hostage and they will try to blackmail Russia, they will try to blackmail all the users of Telegram\u00a0<\/strong>and not only try to get control but also try to block the network here in Russia.”<\/p>\n Additionally,\u00a0deputy speaker of Russian parliament, Vladislav Davankov, described that the tech entrepreneur’s arrest “could be politically motivated and used to gain access to the personal information of Telegram users.”<\/p>\n And Dmitry Medvedev, who is the deputy head of Russia’s Security Council,\u00a0said<\/a>\u00a0Durov is being\u00a0targeted because he’s Russian<\/strong>. “He miscalculated,” Medvedev said. “For all our common enemies now, he is Russian \u2013 and therefore unpredictable and dangerous.” Medvedev asserted, “Durov should finally realize that one cannot chose one’s the fatherland.”<\/p>\n One interesting angle is that the app, well-known for being highly secure as it provides end-to-end encryption, is\u00a0widely used among the Russian military<\/strong>, as well as the common population.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/assets.zerohedge.com\/s3fs-public\/inline-images\/durov.png?itok=wsxdXwoR\")
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