Russia says France ‘refusing to cooperate’ over Telegram owner arrest

MOSCOW: The Russian embassy in Paris on Sunday accused French authorities of “refusing to cooperate” after the arrest of Telegram messaging platform owner Pavel Durov.

Durov, who has Russian and other nationalities, was detained at Paris Le Bourget airport on Saturday and was expected to appear in court on Sunday on offences related to Telegram.

“We immediately asked French authorities to explain the reasons for this detention and demanded that his rights be protected and that consular access be granted. Up to now, the French side is refusing to cooperate on this question,” the embassy said in a statement reported by Ria Novosti news agency.

-AFP