The arrest and charging of Telegram founder Pavel Durov "raises a lot of human rights concerns" says a spokesperson for the UN Human Rights Office. Russian-born Durov was detained in France on 24 August and charged with violations related to the messaging app. Speaking to reporters at a weekly UN briefing, Ravina Shamdasani explains that any restrictions on social media need to be "in line with international human rights standards."
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00:00On the situation of Mr. Pavel Durov, this is a very complex case.
00:04It raises a lot of human rights concerns, and in fact what our office is trying to do
00:09is to maybe perhaps publish a paper that sets out the parameters within which these situations
00:17should be looked at.
00:18I mean, the other most recent incident, of course, is also the banning of X in Brazil,
00:23which also raises similar concerns about states having the duty to ensure that social media
00:28platforms comply with the law, that freedom of expression is permitted, but in line with
00:35also certain restrictions, and any restrictions that are imposed, we need to ensure that they
00:40are proportional, that they are not disproportionate, and that they are in line with international
00:45human rights standards.