The Open Network Society, an independent group representing the TON community, issued an open letter to French authorities urging the immediate release of Telegram co-founder Pavel Durov following his arrest at Le Bourget Airport on Aug. 24.

TON Society’s letter begins by condemning the imprisonment of the Telegram co-founder as a “direct assault on a basic human right” and a violation of the principles of free speech. 

TON Society’s open letter to France. Source: TON Society

The author(s) of the letter continue by calling upon supranational bodies like the United Nations, the Council of Europe and the European Union to intervene on Durov’s behalf and pressure France to uphold human rights. The TON Society states in its open letter:

“It must be noted that the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has unanimously upheld the decision in the CASE OF PODCHASOV v. RUSSIA that ‘measures for encryption contribute to ensuring the enjoyment of other fundamental rights, such as freedom of expression.’”

The letter also implores other social media companies and technology firms to resist state censorship pressures and other forms of information embargo against their users. The TON Society likewise stressed that Telegram’s content moderation policies were in line with the EU regulatory framework, including the Digital Services Act.

Related: Telegram issues official statement on Pavel Durov detention

French authorities holding Durov until Aug. 28

Despite growing calls to release Durov, French authorities announced they were extending his detainment until Aug. 28 as part of an ongoing investigation into an unnamed user allegedly using the Telegram platform for illegal purposes.

Following the widespread backlash from the crypto community and free speech activists, French President Emmanuel Macron issued a response claiming that Durov’s arrest was not political . However, Macron’s response only garnered more backlash from the online community.

Following Durov’s arrest, Rumble CEO and founder Chris Pavlovski fled from Europe , citing the French government ’ s “threatening” posture toward Rumble and the possibility that French officials might attempt to detain other tech executives associated with free speech projects.

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