Telegram founder Pavel Durov has finally broken his silence in the first message sent to the public since his high-profile arrest in France in August.
The tech entrepreneur said he was surprised that French authorities arrested him, citing the legal representative Telegram has in France who handles all regulatory requests and inquiries.
Durov, a French citizen, also stated that the French authorities had multiple avenues to reach him without resorting to law enforcement and claimed he was a regular guest at the French Consulate in Dubai.
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The Telegram founder then asserted that the company is fully prepared to leave jurisdictions that are hostile to Telegram’s purported mission of free speech and free expression. Durov stated via his Telegram channel:
“We are prepared to leave markets that aren’t compatible with our principles because we are not doing this for money. We are driven by the intention to bring good and defend the basic rights of people, particularly in places where these rights are violated.”
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This is a developing story, and further information will be added as it becomes available.