French Court Blocks Pavel Durov’s Travel to Oslo Freedom Forum

Key Takeaways:

• A French court denied Pavel Durov permission to attend the Oslo Freedom Forum.
• Durov remains under legal restrictions in France after being indicted on six charges tied to Telegram’s misuse.
• He accused French intelligence of pressuring him to censor political content

Telegram co-founder Pavel Durov will not appear in person at the Oslo Freedom Forum after a French court denied his request to travel to Norway, despite his scheduled role as a keynote speaker.

The Human Rights Foundation (HRF), which organizes the annual event focused on civil liberties and dissent, confirmed that Durov will deliver his speech remotely.

“It is unfortunate that French courts would block Mr. Durov from participating in an event where his voice is so needed,” said HRF founder Thor Halvorssen.

Last week, Durov was also barred from traveling to the United States for investment-related meetings after French authorities ruled the trip was not essential.

Durov, who was indicted on six charges in September 2024 following his arrest at a French airport, remains under strict legal supervision and cannot leave France without prior approval.

Although Durov was previously granted permission to travel to Dubai earlier this year, the Paris prosecutor’s office denied his recent requests, citing a lack of justification.

Durov holds multiple citizenships, including France and the UAE, but remains tied to France due to ongoing legal proceedings.

A French court has denied Telegram founder Pavel @durov's request to travel to Norway in order to speak at the 2025 #OsloFreedomForum. pic.twitter.com/cU5LJBpg90

Tensions have escalated as Durov publicly accused French officials of pressuring him to censor conservative content on Telegram during Romania’s presidential election.

On May 18, he alleged that Nicolas Lerner, head of France’s domestic intelligence agency, personally requested that he suppress conservative political voices on Telegram ahead of Romania’s presidential elections.

Durov claims the meeting took place at the Hôtel de Crillon in Paris and that he refused to comply.

“You can’t ‘defend democracy’ by destroying democracy,” Durov wrote in a post, adding that Telegram would rather leave entire markets than participate in political censorship.

He emphasized that the platform has never blocked protesters in countries like Russia, Belarus, or Iran and will not begin doing so in Europe.

While Durov will miss the forum in person, his remote keynote is expected to address the growing pressure tech companies face from governments, especially in election cycles.

Telegram has taken down thousands of channels linked to Chinese-language cybercrime hubs Xinbi Guarantee and Huione Guarantee, following an investigation by blockchain analytics firm Elliptic.

These groups have been tied to over $35 billion in illicit USDT transactions, offering services ranging from money laundering and fake IDs to stolen data and cyber extortion.

Huione, allegedly linked to Cambodia’s ruling elite, has facilitated $27 billion in criminal activity, while Xinbi has processed $8.4 billion since 2022.

These marketplaces used Telegram’s encrypted infrastructure to operate openly, selling tools for fraud and laundering crypto from scams such as “pig butchering” and even hacks like the WazirX breach tied to North Korean actors.

The platforms have also been connected to human trafficking compounds in Southeast Asia, where victims are coerced into romance scams and financial fraud.

These compounds, disguised as job offers, exploit vulnerable individuals and force them into operating cybercrime schemes under duress.

Telegram’s role in enabling this ecosystem has come under scrutiny. While the app was designed for privacy, its structure has increasingly been leveraged by organized crime.

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