France lifts travel ban on Russian Telegram founder Pavel Durov
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Telegram founder Pavel Durov, who is under investigation in France, watching a boxing match in Abu Dhabi on Oct 25.
PHOTO: AFP
Follow topic:
- Pavel Durov, Telegram's founder, faced a French travel ban due to an investigation into illegal content on the platform.
- Durov's judicial control was eased in July, allowing brief UAE stays; now the travel ban is fully lifted due to compliance.
- Durov denies allegations, accusing French authorities of improper procedures, while pledging to improve Telegram's oversight.
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PARIS – France has lifted its travel ban on Telegram founder Pavel Durov, who is under investigation over illegal content on his messaging app, judicial sources close to the case said on Nov 13.
The Russian-born entrepreneur, 41, was detained in Paris in 2024
Durov – who was initially banned from leaving France – had his judicial control relaxed
Now, the authorities have fully lifted his travel ban, and he is no longer required to report to the police in the southern city of Nice.
For the past year, Durov “has fully complied with his judicial supervision”, the judicial source told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Durov, who holds French and Russian passports, has been accused of complicity in running an online platform that allowed illicit transactions, images of child sex abuse as well as other illegal content.
During initial questioning in December 2024, the tech entrepreneur acknowledged a growing criminal presence on the platform and pledged to strengthen content oversight.
But Durov has accused French authorities of failing to follow proper legal procedures when submitting content moderation inquiries.
He has denied the allegations and condemned his arrest as causing “massive damage to France’s image as a free country”.
His lawyers declined to comment when contacted by AFP. AFP
