French President Emmanuel Macron is defending his government’s decision to give special fast-track citizenship to Telegram messaging app CEO Pavel Durov. Durov is now under preliminary charges in France over alleged criminal activity on his popular platform. Macron also said he was unaware that Durov was coming to France before his surprise weekend arrest. Free-speech advocates, far-right figures and authoritarian governments around the world have spoken out in Durov’s defense. Durov was freed on 5 million euro bail but barred from leaving France and ordered to report to a police station twice a week pending further investigation.
