Pavel Durov Says France Pressured Telegram to Censor Moldova Election Content

Telegram co-founder Pavel Durov has accused French intelligence services of pressuring him to censor political content tied to Moldova’s 2024 elections—an offer he says came with promises of leniency in his ongoing legal battle in France.

In a Sunday post on his Telegram channel, Durov said that while the platform initially removed content that “clearly” violated its terms of service, officials pushed for the removal of additional posts that were “legitimate and fully compliant with our rules.”

According to him, the only common thread among these channels was that they expressed political opinions unfavorable to the French and Moldovan governments. However, Durov have pushed back on the demand, stressing that Telegram would not censor political content for government interest.

Free Speech vs. State Pressure

The revelation comes against the backdrop of Durov’s arrest in France in August 2024, a move that drew sharp criticism from the crypto community, free speech advocates, and human rights groups. His case has since become a flashpoint in the wider debate over government censorship and digital privacy in Europe.

This is not the first time Telegram has faced such pressure. Durov claimed that in May 2025, French officials also requested takedowns of political content related to Romanian elections, which he likewise refused.

“You can’t ‘defend democracy’ by destroying democracy. You can’t ‘fight election interference’ by interfering with elections. You either have freedom of speech and fair elections — or you don’t.”

Durov has repeatedly warned that France—and by extension the EU—are moving toward authoritarian-style censorship under the guise of regulation. In June 2025, he cautioned that France was “inching toward societal collapse” due to heavy-handed policies and suppression of dissent.

The tension escalated further with an EU-backed proposal to monitor all digital messages, including encrypted ones—a measure supported by 19 member states. Durov has insisted Telegram would leave jurisdictions such as France rather than compromise encryption keys or create backdoors for government surveillance.

A Test Case for Digital Freedom

Durov’s latest claims underscore an uncomfortable truth: governments are increasingly blurring the line between safeguarding democracy and undermining it. By pressuring platforms like Telegram to silence dissenting voices, officials risk eroding the very freedoms they claim to protect.

For now, Telegram’s refusal to comply makes it a key battleground in the fight over online speech, privacy, and the future of digital democracy in Europe.