French President Emmanuel Macron has said that Telegram founder and CEO Pavel Durov’s arrest in Paris was made under an ongoing judicial investigation and was not a political decision.  In a social media post, he said, the arrest of the president of Telegram on French soil took place as part of an ongoing judicial investigation. He stressed that France is deeply committed to freedom of expression and communication, to innovation, and to the spirit of entrepreneurship.

The 39-year-old Russian, who also holds citizenship in France, the UAE and Saint Kitts and Nevis, was detained by French authorities after his private jet landed in Paris on August 24 after flying from Azerbaijan. According to media reports, he was arrested on several charges which involved the alleged spread of criminal activity on Telegram.

Meanwhile, Telegram said that it is absurd to claim that a platform or its owner is responsible for the abuse of that platform. In its first reaction after Durov’s arrest, the company said it abides by the European Union laws, including the Digital Services Act.