Pavel Durov Rejected Pressure From an EU Country to Censor Political Content Ahead of Romania's May 18 Presidential Elections

According to Durov, a Western European government, which he hinted at with a baguette emoji, approached the platform and requested it censor conservative voices

A European Union (EU) country attempted to pressure Telegram founder Pavel Durov into censoring political content ahead of the May 18 presidential elections in Romania but was flatly refused, according to a report by CC XV.

According to Durov, a Western European government, which he hinted at with a baguette emoji, approached the platform and requested that it censor conservative voices.

The Telegram founder is an ardent defender of free speech, who is highly regarded in the crypto community for his stances on freedom of expression, autonomy, privacy, and individual liberty.

"Today is the day of the second round of presidential elections in Romania, a European country where we were approached by the government to censor conservative voices ahead of the elections. 🥖

"They asked us to block several Telegram channels and groups that supported the candidates they didn't prefer. We refused, of course. Telegram will never engage in political activity or interfere in elections in any way.

"Our mission is to provide a service that connects people and empowers them to express themselves freely, and we will continue to do so without bias or partiality."

Related: Telegram founder says he’d rather quit than comply with illegal requests

Durov thrust into the spotlight following arrest in France

Durov was arrested in France and sparked widespread condemnation from the crypto community and free speech advocates worldwide, who accused the French government of orchestrating a politically-motivated arrest.

French President Emmanuel Macron denied the arrest was political while claiming the French government was "committed to freedom of expression and communication," in an August 26 X post.

"You can't keep founders personally liable, and charge them up to 20 years, for not moderating speech, and at the same time claim you are deeply committed to freedom of expression," Helius Labs CEO Mert Mumtaz wrote in response to Macron.

Shortly after Durov's arrest, Chris Pavlovski, the CEO of Rumble — a free speech online video platform — announced that he safely departed the European Union after France threatened the company.

The CEO also criticized the French government for the arrest of the Telegram co-founder, characterizing it as an attempt to pressure him into censoring speech on the platform.

Durov maintains that Telegram complies with lawful information requests made by law enforcement officials and said that the company has a legal representative in France who handles such requests.

The Telegram co-founder also criticized the French government for bypassing the legal representative and choosing to issue an arrest warrant instead.