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France 24
27-05-2025
- Politics
- France 24
Telegram's Durov repeats claim France interfered in Romania vote
Durov's renewed claim during the Oslo Freedom Forum contradicted a denial by the DGSE, the foreign intelligence service of France, where he faces charges related to criminal activity on the Telegram platform. "I was indeed asked by the head of French intelligence, Nicolas Lerner", to turn off conservative Romanian Telegram channels ahead of the election, Durov said in an appearance by video after French judicial authorities denied his request to travel to Norway. "It's very important to be very transparent about what kinds of request we receive," added Durov, who did not provide fresh evidence for his claim. The 40-year-old, who holds French and Russian passports, was detained in Paris in August 2024 and is under investigation over illegal content on his popular messaging service. The Romanian election, re-run due to alleged Russian interference after a first-round vote put a far-right candidate ahead, ultimately saw pro-European centrist Nicusor Dan defeat nationalist George Simion. Romania's constitutional court on Thursday denied Simion's challenge to the results, which he based in part on claims of French and Moldovan interference. The court called his allegations "completely false and unfounded". The DGSE last week said it has contacted Durov in the past "to firmly remind him of (Telegram's) responsibilities... concerning prevention of terrorist and child pornography threats". But it "refuted vigorously" his allegations about attempted Romanian election interference. Durov also said Tuesday that Telegram "received a demand from the French police to shut down a public channel on Telegram which was organised by far-left protesters and demonstrators". The channel "seemed completely legitimate, and we refused to comply, despite the obvious personal risks I'm taking", he added. Durov was allowed in March to travel to Dubai, where his company is based, but French judicial authorities have more recently stopped him travelling to the United States to meet investors or to Norway for the Freedom Forum, organised by the Human Rights Foundation, a non-profit organisation. He called the investigation "frustratingly slow", adding that Telegram was "held at higher standards than most other platforms" -- with the likes of Facebook or Snapchat "protected by this big American government". Since his arrest, Durov had appeared to bow to Paris's demands for stronger efforts to ensure illegal content -- such as child abuse and drug trading -- was not on Telegram.
Russia Today
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Russia Today
Telegram's Durov names French official who ‘asked to ban conservative voices'
Telegram founder Pavel Durov has claimed that French foreign intelligence chief Nicolas Lerner personally asked him to censor conservatives on his platform ahead of the contentious rerun of Romania's presidential election. The Russian-born entrepreneur said he refused the request. The accusations of foreign meddling first surfaced last year after Romania's top court annulled the November election results, in which independent right-wing candidate Calin Georgescu came in first with 23%. The authorities cited 'irregularities' in his campaign, along with intelligence reports alleging Russian interference – claims Moscow has denied. Georgescu was later barred from running again. On Sunday, pro-EU centrist Nicusor Dan was elected president of Romania. His conservative, Euroskeptic opponent George Simion accused France and Moldova of attempting to sabotage his campaign. In a post on X on Sunday evening, Durov said he met with Lerner, the head of France's Directorate-General for External Security (DGSE), in Paris. The agency, operating under the Ministry of the Armed Forces, is tasked with gathering intelligence and combating terrorist threats. 'This spring at the Salon des Batailles in the Hotel de Crillon, Nicolas Lerner, head of French intelligence, asked me to ban conservative voices in Romania ahead of elections. I refused,' Durov wrote. 'We didn't block protesters in Russia, Belarus, or Iran. We won't start doing it in Europe.' Durov previously hinted that France asked him to 'silence' Romanian conservatives. The French Foreign Ministry rejected the allegations of election meddling as 'completely unfounded.' 'France categorically rejects these allegations and calls on everyone to exercise responsibility and respect for Romanian democracy,' the ministry stated, labeling the accusations 'a diversionary maneuver' aimed at distracting the public from 'the real threats of interference targeting Romania.' Last year, the French authorities charged Durov with facilitating the distribution of child sexual exploitation material and drug trafficking due to alleged moderation failures on Telegram. He was arrested at Paris-Le Bourget Airport in August before being released on €5 million ($5.46 million) bail. Durov, who has denied any wrongdoing, was eventually allowed to leave France in March.
Russia Today
19-05-2025
- Politics
- Russia Today
France denies claims of Romanian election interference attempt
The French Foreign Ministry has vehemently denied undertaking any attempts to interfere in Romania's presidential election after Telegram founder Pavel Durov claimed that he was asked to silence Romanian conservative voices on the platform ahead of Sunday's runoff. The second round of voting in Romania is being contested by pro-EU centrist Nicusor and Euroskeptic George Simion, who have been running neck and neck in a tight race. Durov stated in a post on Telegram on the day of the vote that a 'Western European government' approached his company with a request to block conservatives in Romania ahead of elections. The tech entrepreneur did not name the nation behind the request, but posted an emoji of a baguette in a thinly veiled reference to France. Hours later, the French Foreign Ministry responded with a lengthy statement on X calling 'the recent accusations against France' completely 'unfounded.' 'France categorically rejects these allegations,' the ministry said, maintaining that the claims were 'merely a diversionary maneuver from the real threats of interference targeting Romania.' Durov hit back, claiming he was personally approached over the matter by the head of France's foreign intelligence agency, Nicolas Lerner, at a Paris hotel this spring. In its statement, the French ministry also tried to point finger at Moscow, saying the first round of the Romanian presidential election initially held in December 2024 was annulled 'by the competent Romanian authorities' following what it called 'very real' interference from actors linked to Russia. The ministry was referring to a decision by Romania's Constitutional Court to overturn the first round results after it was won by independent right-wing candidate Calin Georgescu, who secured 23% of the vote. The court cited electoral irregularities and suspected Russian 'hybrid' influence. Moscow has denied having any involvement. Georgescu was later barred from running again by the Central Electoral Bureau, which cited his alleged 'anti-democratic' and 'extremist' positions and procedural violations. Simion publicly supported Georgescu and also accused France of 'putting a lot of money and pressure' into subverting the vote in Romania.
Russia Today
19-05-2025
- Politics
- Russia Today
French spies challenge Durov's censorship accusation
France's foreign intelligence service has denied claims that its director pressured Telegram founder Pavel Durov to censor political content on the messaging platform. Durov claimed on Sunday that the government of a Western European country – which he hinted was France – had asked him to block conservative Romanian content on Telegram ahead of the country's presidential runoff. After Paris denied involvement, Durov identified Nicolas Lerner, head of the Directorate-General for External Security (DGSE), as the official behind the request. On Monday, the DGSE told French outlets Agence France-Presse and Le Monde that it had contacted Durov on multiple occasions, but only to 'firmly remind him of his company's responsibilities, and his own personally, in preventing terrorist and child pornography threats.' The agency rejected accusations of political interference. Durov was arrested in France last August after arriving at Le Bourget Airport and charged with complicity in crimes allegedly carried out by Telegram users, including extremism and child abuse offenses. He was released on €5 million ($5.46 million) bail. The Russian-born entrepreneur, whose company is headquartered in Dubai, left France with official permission in mid-March. The dispute emerged as Romania held its second attempt at a presidential election. On Sunday, pro-EU candidate Nicusor Dan narrowly defeated Euroskeptic rival George Simion in a runoff. A previous vote last year was annulled after right-wing independent Calin Georgescu unexpectedly won the first round. Romania's Constitutional Court invalidated the initial vote, citing alleged Russian interference. Media reports linked Georgescu's surge in support to a digital campaign orchestrated by a firm with ties to the ruling National Liberal Party, which may have aimed to split the conservative vote. Romania's Foreign Ministry has also accused Moscow of meddling in the latest runoff. The Russian government has dismissed the claim.
The Sun
19-05-2025
- Politics
- The Sun
Telegram's Durov says French spy chief asked him to ban conservative Romanian voices
PARIS: Pavel Durov, the founder of the Telegram messaging app, has accused the head of France's foreign intelligence agency of asking him to ban Romanian conservative voices ahead of the country's elections, adding he refused the request. Russian-born Durov is currently under judicial supervision in France, holed up in Paris' glitzy Crillon hotel after being placed under formal investigation for alleged organized crime on Telegram. He said it was there that Nicolas Lerner, who leads the DGSE foreign spy agency, approached him. '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,' Durov wrote on X late on Sunday. 'We didn't block protesters in Russia, Belarus, or Iran. We won't start doing it in Europe.' The centrist mayor of Bucharest, Nicusor Dan, won Romania's presidential election on Sunday in a shock victory over George Simion, a hard-right, nationalist rival who had pledged to adopt a path inspired by U.S. President Donald Trump's politics. The Romanian result was a relief for EU leaders in Brussels, where there is concern that popular anger with mainstream elites over migration and cost of living pressures could bolster support for far-right parties and erode unity on the continent over how to deal with Russia. France's DGSE said in a statement its officials had indeed met with Durov various times over the years 'to firmly remind him of his company's responsibilities, and his own personally, in preventing terrorist and child pornography threats.' However, the DGSE 'vigorously refutes the allegations that requests to ban accounts related to any electoral process were made on these occasions,' it said. MUSK TAKES NOTE Simion said it was not known whether the allegations were true, and if Durov had been warned, 'Telegram was certainly not the only one approached,' he told Reuters. Durov's accusation was reposted on X by U.S. billionaire Elon Musk, one of various powerful figures on the U.S. right who have accused European nations of suppressing far-right voices. 'Wow,' Musk wrote. Durov had earlier on Sunday while polls were open said he had refused a request by a Western government to silence conservative voices ahead of the Romania run-off vote. 'Telegram will not restrict the freedoms of Romanian users or block their political channels,' Durov said, adding an emoji of a baguette that implied it was France. The French foreign ministry denied any such interference and called on all to 'exercise responsibility and respect for Romanian democracy.' Romania's president-elect Dan said on Sunday Durov's comments constituted 'unauthorized interference by a social media platform in the electoral process' and 'a clear attempt to influence the outcome of the Romanian presidential election.' The arrest of Durov last year ignited a debate about free speech online. Musk, who criticized the arrest of Durov, is also being probed by French prosecutors over alleged algorithmic bias on X. Musk has used X to personally support right-wing parties and causes in countries including Germany and Britain, leading to concerns about undue foreign interference. Earlier this month, OpenMinds, a tech company focused on countering authoritarian influence, said it found that 24% of Romanian-language Telegram channels were spreading what it called Kremlin-backed disinformation. Telegram said at the time users receive only the content they explicitly subscribe to.
