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 Thursday, November 13th.
The Russian-born entrepreneur, 41, was detained in Paris in 2024 and is under formal investigation by French authorities over the platform’s alleged complicity in criminal activity.
Durov, who was initially banned from leaving France, had his judicial control relaxed in July, allowing him to reside in the United Arab Emirates, where Telegram is based, for a maximum of two weeks at a time.
Now authorities have fully lifted his travel ban, and he is no longer required to report to police in the southern city of Nice.
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, and 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 doing “massive damage to France’s image as a free country.”
Earlier this year Durov accused French authorities of pressuring Telegram to “silence conservative voices in Romania” and to censor channels critical of Moldova’s government ahead of elections in the two countries.He recently also strongly criticised Western European nations for limiting freedom of expression.
