Former CIA analyst: Pavel Durov's charges are a 'fabricated political case'

Odaily Odaily reported that Larry Johnson, a former CIA analyst, said: "They (French authorities) will prosecute (Telegram founder Pavel Durov) on terrorism charges because he refused to censor certain groups... Telegram is one of the few channels that actually allows information critical of Western policies to continue to spread. I think this is the root of the problem." Johnson believes that the charges against Durov are "fabricated political cases," suggesting that they are designed to intimidate the tech entrepreneur. Johnson added: "There was a time when he was considered to be close to (French President Emmanuel) Macron, but now it seems that this relationship obviously no longer exists, because without Macron's knowledge and approval, this arrest would not have happened." (Sputnik)