PARIS, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) -- The arrest of Pavel Durov, CEO of the encrypted messaging service Telegram, is "in no way a political decision," said French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday.
Durov's arrest in France "took place as part of an ongoing judicial investigation," Macron said on social media platform X, formerly Twitter.
The French head of state stressed that his country is "deeply" committed to freedom of expression.
"In a state governed by the rule of law, freedoms are upheld within a legal framework, both on social media and in real life, to protect citizens and respect their fundamental rights," he added.
According to the French daily Le Figaro, Durov's arrest warrant was issued by a special unit within the French Interior Ministry, which is tasked with combating crimes against minors.
Durov is accused of violating French law by failing to take action against the use of his messaging platform by those involved in cyberbullying, as well as the sharing of pedophilic content, and the glorification of terrorism, le Figaro reported.
In response to the arrest, the Telegram group said on its X account that the company "abides by European Union (EU) laws, including the Digital Services Act."
"It is absurd to claim that a platform or its owner is responsible for abuse of that platform," it added. ■
