Telegram`s founder lists French representative who ‘asked to ban conservative voices’
(MENAFN) Telegram founder Pavel Durov has accused Nicolas Lerner, head of France’s foreign intelligence agency (DGSE), of personally urging him to censor conservative voices in Romania ahead of the country’s controversial presidential election rerun. Durov claims he rejected the request.
The allegations add fuel to ongoing claims of foreign interference in Romania’s political landscape. Last year, Romania’s constitutional court annulled the results of the November presidential election, where right-wing independent Calin Georgescu led with 23%. Authorities cited campaign irregularities and intelligence reports of Russian meddling—allegations that Moscow has denied. Georgescu was later disqualified from running again.
In the recent vote, pro-European centrist Nicusor Dan won the presidency, defeating conservative rival George Simion. Simion accused France and Moldova of undermining his campaign.
In a Sunday post on X, Durov said Lerner approached him this spring at Paris’ Hotel de Crillon, asking him to suppress Romanian conservative voices on Telegram. Durov declined, stating, “We didn’t block protesters in Russia, Belarus, or Iran. We won’t start doing it in Europe.”
France's Foreign Ministry denied Durov's claims, calling them “completely unfounded” and accusing him of deflecting attention from legitimate concerns about election interference in Romania. They emphasized respect for Romania’s democratic process.
Durov’s relations with French authorities have been strained. Last year, he was charged with enabling the spread of child exploitation material and drug trafficking via Telegram. Arrested in Paris in August, he was later released on €5 million bail and allowed to leave France in March. Durov denies any wrongdoing.
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the
information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept
any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images,
videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information
contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright
issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.
Legal Disclaimer:
EIN Presswire provides this news content "as is" without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.
