Pavel Durov cannot attend the Oslo Freedom Forum in person after a French court blocked his request to travel. The Human Rights Foundation, which organizes the forum, confirmed the news on May 24.
The Oslo Freedom Forum is a summit focused on human rights and civil liberties. Durov, the co-founder of Telegram, was scheduled to be a keynote speaker at the event in Oslo, Norway. He will now address the audience remotely via livestream.
HRF founder and CEO Thor Halvorssen responded to the decision.
“It is unfortunate that French courts would block Mr. Durov from participating in an event where his voice is so needed,”
he said.
No further legal details were shared by the court or the Human Rights Foundation. However, the decision follows recent tension between Pavel Durov and French authorities over Telegram censorship.
Durov Says Nicolas Lerner Requested Telegram Censorship in France
On May 18, Pavel Durov wrote on Telegram that French intelligence services asked him to censor conservative content related to the Romanian elections. He later identified Nicolas Lerner, head of the General Directorate for Internal Security (DGSI), as the official behind the request.
Durov said the conversation took place at the Salon des Batailles in Hôtel de Crillon, a well-known Paris venue. In a post on X, he stated:
“This spring at the Salon des Batailles, in the Hôtel de Crillon, Nicolas Lerner, head of French intelligence, asked me to ban conservative voices in Romania ahead of elections. I refused. We didn’t block protesters in Russia, Belarus, or Iran. We won’t start doing it in Europe.”
Durov has repeatedly said that Telegram will not censor political content, even under pressure from governments. He said the platform would exit markets before it agrees to restrict political speech.
The Telegram founder described government-led censorship requests as human rights violations. He noted that his team would not make exceptions based on the region.
Telegram Censorship Dispute Tied to Romanian Elections
The Telegram censorship request from French intelligence reportedly concerned conservative voices ahead of the Romanian presidential elections. Pavel Durov said he denied the request and publicly criticized the approach.
In a May 18 post on Telegram, he wrote:
“You can’t ‘defend democracy’ by destroying democracy. You can’t ‘fight election interference’ by interfering with elections.”
He did not initially mention any country by name but later clarified that the request came from France and was related to Romania. Durov also posted that Telegram had taken the same stance when similar demands came from governments in Russia, Belarus, and Iran.
No French government representative, including the DGSI, has commented publicly on Durov’s statements. The Human Rights Foundation also has not responded to the censorship claims.
Ongoing Legal Case in France May Be Linked to Travel Ban
The French court did not disclose the full reason for denying Pavel Durov’s travel request. However, he is currently involved in a legal case in France. The case details have not been made public.
This case appears to be the reason he cannot leave France, including for speaking events like the Oslo Freedom Forum. The Human Rights Foundation did not refer to the legal case in its statement but confirmed Durov’s speech would still take place through livestream.
Telegram remains operational in France and Romania, with no reports of restrictions or changes following the incident. However, Durov’s statements have renewed attention to the issue of platform control during elections.
