٠٠:٠١:١٥EU foreign ministers attempted to avoid questions on the detention of Telegram founder Pavel Durov in France, ahead of their informal 'Gymnich' meeting in Brussels on Thursday.
Belgian Foreign Minister Hadja Lahbib tried to shut down a reporter who began asking about the case, saying it was 'not on the agenda' of the meeting'.
"Russian speaker of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs already said that the fact that European countries don't speak about that shows that Europe is also kind of under censorship and also against freedom of speech in social media," she was asked again.
"I think that there is a reality on Telegram and there is an inquiry. And we respect the judicial inquiry and we will wait for the decision," Lahbib replied.
Jan Lipavsky from the Czech Republic claims his 'spokesperson' would respond to the Russian claims. Asked about the detention in general, he claimed he had 'trust in the French legal system'.
On Wednesday, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova criticised the reaction to Durov, describing it as 'shocking' and unprecedented, and noting that France in particular would be 'hysterical' if a similar situation occurred involving a member of the Global South.
Durov was detained at Le Bourget airport in France on Saturday, August 24, and released on Thursday after being placed under judicial supervision and bail set at 5 million EUR (5.5 million USD), subject to a travel ban preventing him from leaving France.
The Telegram CEO - who has Russian, French, UAE and St Kitts and Nevis citizenships - stands accused of allowing alleged criminal activity on his platform, a 'refusal to communicate with the authorities' - and placed under formal investigation. President Emmanuel Macron claimed it was 'in no way a political decision'.Russia and the UAE called on France to urgently provide their citizen with access to consular support.
Earlier, Telegram claimed that its 39-year-old CEO had 'nothing to hide and that its 'moderation is within industry standards and constantly improving'. "It is absurd to claim that a platform or its owner are responsible for abuse of that platform," the statement continued.
Is Europe censoring free speech? EU FMs dodge Durov questions, 'trust in French legal system' after Telegram boss bailed
EU foreign ministers attempted to avoid questions on the detention of Telegram founder Pavel Durov in France, ahead of their informal 'Gymnich' meeting in Brussels on Thursday.
Belgian Foreign Minister Hadja Lahbib tried to shut down a reporter who began asking about the case, saying it was 'not on the agenda' of the meeting'.
"Russian speaker of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs already said that the fact that European countries don't speak about that shows that Europe is also kind of under censorship and also against freedom of speech in social media," she was asked again.
"I think that there is a reality on Telegram and there is an inquiry. And we respect the judicial inquiry and we will wait for the decision," Lahbib replied.
Jan Lipavsky from the Czech Republic claims his 'spokesperson' would respond to the Russian claims. Asked about the detention in general, he claimed he had 'trust in the French legal system'.
On Wednesday, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova criticised the reaction to Durov, describing it as 'shocking' and unprecedented, and noting that France in particular would be 'hysterical' if a similar situation occurred involving a member of the Global South.
Durov was detained at Le Bourget airport in France on Saturday, August 24, and released on Thursday after being placed under judicial supervision and bail set at 5 million EUR (5.5 million USD), subject to a travel ban preventing him from leaving France.
The Telegram CEO - who has Russian, French, UAE and St Kitts and Nevis citizenships - stands accused of allowing alleged criminal activity on his platform, a 'refusal to communicate with the authorities' - and placed under formal investigation. President Emmanuel Macron claimed it was 'in no way a political decision'.Russia and the UAE called on France to urgently provide their citizen with access to consular support.
Earlier, Telegram claimed that its 39-year-old CEO had 'nothing to hide and that its 'moderation is within industry standards and constantly improving'. "It is absurd to claim that a platform or its owner are responsible for abuse of that platform," the statement continued.
EU foreign ministers attempted to avoid questions on the detention of Telegram founder Pavel Durov in France, ahead of their informal 'Gymnich' meeting in Brussels on Thursday.
Belgian Foreign Minister Hadja Lahbib tried to shut down a reporter who began asking about the case, saying it was 'not on the agenda' of the meeting'.
"Russian speaker of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs already said that the fact that European countries don't speak about that shows that Europe is also kind of under censorship and also against freedom of speech in social media," she was asked again.
"I think that there is a reality on Telegram and there is an inquiry. And we respect the judicial inquiry and we will wait for the decision," Lahbib replied.
Jan Lipavsky from the Czech Republic claims his 'spokesperson' would respond to the Russian claims. Asked about the detention in general, he claimed he had 'trust in the French legal system'.
On Wednesday, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova criticised the reaction to Durov, describing it as 'shocking' and unprecedented, and noting that France in particular would be 'hysterical' if a similar situation occurred involving a member of the Global South.
Durov was detained at Le Bourget airport in France on Saturday, August 24, and released on Thursday after being placed under judicial supervision and bail set at 5 million EUR (5.5 million USD), subject to a travel ban preventing him from leaving France.
The Telegram CEO - who has Russian, French, UAE and St Kitts and Nevis citizenships - stands accused of allowing alleged criminal activity on his platform, a 'refusal to communicate with the authorities' - and placed under formal investigation. President Emmanuel Macron claimed it was 'in no way a political decision'.Russia and the UAE called on France to urgently provide their citizen with access to consular support.
Earlier, Telegram claimed that its 39-year-old CEO had 'nothing to hide and that its 'moderation is within industry standards and constantly improving'. "It is absurd to claim that a platform or its owner are responsible for abuse of that platform," the statement continued.