US EditionTelegram CEO Barred from Leaving France Amid Ongoing Legal Battle
- In August 2024, Pavel Durov, the Russian-born founder of Telegram, was taken into custody near Paris’s Le Bourget airport as part of a formal French investigation into illegal material circulated on his messaging platform.
- Durov alleged that the head of France's foreign intelligence service requested him to ban pro-conservative Romanian accounts ahead of crucial weekend presidential elections in spring 2024, which France denies.
- The French intelligence agency DGSE confirmed it contacted Durov several times to remind him of responsibilities against terrorist and child pornography content but strongly rejected any requests linked to election-related account bans.
- Durov was released on a five-million-euro bail and was later allowed to temporarily leave France in March 2024 to travel to Dubai, stating, "We won't start doing it in Europe."
- The case highlights tensions over platform accountability amid sensitive elections, as centrist Nicusor Dan won Romania's presidential rerun against nationalist George Simion, with France reaffirming it rejects interference accusations.
153 Articles
153 Articles
Telegram CEO Pavel Durov barred from leaving France amid ongoing criminal investigation
Telegram co-founder and CEO Pavel Durov is currently not allowed to leave France without prior authorisation from French authorities. The restriction follows his arrest in August 2024 at a French airport and the subsequent criminal investigations into Telegram’s role in hosting illegal activities on its platform. Pavel's US trip request rejected On May 12, 2025, the Paris prosecutor’s office rejected Durov’s request to travel to the United State…
France used 'terror' and 'child porn' to mask political agenda -...
The Telegram founder has accused Paris of pressuring him to interfere in Romanian, Moldovan, and Ukrainian politics. Telegram founder Pavel Durov has doubled down on his claims that France's foreign intelligence agency pressured him to censor conservative voices on his platform, dismissing their purported law enforcement concerns as a "manipulation tactic." On Sunday, Durov accused the head of the Directorate-General for External Security (DGSE)…
The Founder of Telegram on the Subject of Romania's Elections Surprised the French Secret Services: "I Didn't Anticipate" / In Conflict with Pavel Durov, Paris Is Now Waiting for New Attacks - HotNews.ro
Found under strict judicial supervision in France after last year's arrest, Pavel Durov has been doing kind deeds against the French authorities in recent months. Now, say French officials for Politico, a...
Telegram CEO Pavel Durov is banned from leaving France without permission following his arrest
Telegram CEO Pavel Durov has been banned from leaving France after he was arrested there in 2024 for being complicit in the criminal activity that occurs on his messaging platform.
Big Tech CEO Says France Pressed Him to Interfere in Romanian Election
The creator of a social media platform with a billion monthly active users warned that the same country prosecuting him for speech on his platform pressured him to interfere in a European election. Telegram CEO and Founder Pavel Durov said that France pressured him to “silence conservative voices” in Romania during a redo election for an election in which the anti-European Union candidate won. France arrested Durov in August 2024. He is facing …
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