Serbian leader says Durov arrest reveals ‘upside-down’ West
Pavel Durov faces charges that highlight a significant shift in the West's commitment to the values it once upheld, according to Aleksandar Vucic. Read Full Article at RT.com.
TroibNews 
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic has remarked on the treatment of Telegram founder Pavel Durov, suggesting that the West has forsaken the values it once upheld.
Durov, a 39-year-old Russian, was detained by French authorities upon his arrival in Paris from Azerbaijan via private jet. He also holds passports from France, the UAE, and St. Kitts and Nevis.
During a newscast on Monday evening, Vucic characterized Durov’s situation as “interesting,” drawing parallels to the cases of Julian Assange and Edward Snowden. He highlighted the shift in Western attitudes towards Durov: “Back in 2018, when Russia put some mild legal pressure on him, some 26 groups from the West signed a petition to the Russian state to stop violating his freedom. Fast forward five or six years, and it’s perfectly normal [for them] to have him arrested and want to shut down Telegram in the West. Everything has gone topsy-turvy, reality itself has been changed to fit their interests.”
On Monday, French prosecutors outlined a series of preliminary charges against Durov, alleging that he “facilitated” illegal activities on his platform, including drug dealing, money laundering, and child pornography, by not cooperating with French investigators pursuing an unnamed third party.
French President Emmanuel Macron has defended the arrest, asserting that the charges against Durov were “in no way a political decision.”
The arrest has drawn criticism from prominent figures such as X owner Elon Musk, American journalist Tucker Carlson, and Silicon Valley investor David Sacks, who have called it an infringement on free speech.
Snowden, who revealed the scope of NSA surveillance in 2012, accused France of holding Durov “hostage” to gain access to private communications on Telegram.
Vucic referenced Durov’s predicament while discussing the criticism directed at Serbia by the US and EU for allegedly repressing political opposition. He contended that the EU frequently suppresses protests with excessive force while Serbia adopts a more lenient approach to civil unrest. “It’s all upside-down!” Vucic stated. “When you allow the greatest of liberties, you’re a dictator. The fewer freedoms exist, the more they speak about them.”
Sanya Singh contributed to this report for TROIB News
Durov, a 39-year-old Russian, was detained by French authorities upon his arrival in Paris from Azerbaijan via private jet. He also holds passports from France, the UAE, and St. Kitts and Nevis.
During a newscast on Monday evening, Vucic characterized Durov’s situation as “interesting,” drawing parallels to the cases of Julian Assange and Edward Snowden. He highlighted the shift in Western attitudes towards Durov: “Back in 2018, when Russia put some mild legal pressure on him, some 26 groups from the West signed a petition to the Russian state to stop violating his freedom. Fast forward five or six years, and it’s perfectly normal [for them] to have him arrested and want to shut down Telegram in the West. Everything has gone topsy-turvy, reality itself has been changed to fit their interests.”
On Monday, French prosecutors outlined a series of preliminary charges against Durov, alleging that he “facilitated” illegal activities on his platform, including drug dealing, money laundering, and child pornography, by not cooperating with French investigators pursuing an unnamed third party.
French President Emmanuel Macron has defended the arrest, asserting that the charges against Durov were “in no way a political decision.”
The arrest has drawn criticism from prominent figures such as X owner Elon Musk, American journalist Tucker Carlson, and Silicon Valley investor David Sacks, who have called it an infringement on free speech.
Snowden, who revealed the scope of NSA surveillance in 2012, accused France of holding Durov “hostage” to gain access to private communications on Telegram.
Vucic referenced Durov’s predicament while discussing the criticism directed at Serbia by the US and EU for allegedly repressing political opposition. He contended that the EU frequently suppresses protests with excessive force while Serbia adopts a more lenient approach to civil unrest. “It’s all upside-down!” Vucic stated. “When you allow the greatest of liberties, you’re a dictator. The fewer freedoms exist, the more they speak about them.”
Sanya Singh contributed to this report for TROIB News
