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Telegram founder Pavel Durov has been cleared by a French court to travel to Dubai for two weeks in July, after an earlier travel request was denied by French authorities.
According to Le Monde, Durov will be allowed to leave France starting July 10. The trip marks a return to Dubai, where Telegram is headquartered. The decision follows a previous rejection in May, when Durov requested to travel to Oslo to speak at the Human Rights Foundation’s Oslo Freedom Forum. He eventually addressed the event remotely.
This is not the first time Durov has been granted travel relief. In March, he was permitted to spend several weeks outside France, also returning to Dubai. The temporary ruling was welcomed by The Open Network Society (TON), which called it a positive step for free expression.
Durov’s legal situation in France attracted attention from privacy advocates, free speech organizations, and parts of the crypto community, many of whom see his case as a bellwether for individual rights in the EU.
In a recent interview with French outlet Le Point, Durov criticized President Emmanuel Macron’s leadership and warned that regulatory overreach could erode France’s competitiveness. “France is getting weaker and weaker,” he said. “When we delay necessary reforms too long, we end up experiencing a collapse.”
He argued that censorship policies and heavy-handed oversight are pushing tech talent and innovation to more open jurisdictions.
Durov also appeared on Tucker Carlson’s show last week, where he spoke broadly about his case and civil liberties across Europe.
French authorities have not publicly commented on Durov’s criticisms or on the broader implications of his travel restrictions.
Durov was arrested in Paris on August 24 as part of an investigation into Telegram’s role in allegedly enabling illegal activities.
The CEO reassured users that Telegram’s core principles remain unchanged. The company continues to balance local legal compliance with its mission to protect activists and ordinary users from oppressive governments or corporations, ensuring that criminals cannot exploit the platform.
Pavel Durov confirmed in October that the platform has been disclosing IP addresses and phone numbers of criminals to authorities since 2018.
Durov added that this process is not new, stating that Telegram has long responded to properly formed legal requests from authorities across most countries. These disclosures are made when users are involved in criminal activities, aligning with Telegram’s privacy policies.
For instance, in Brazil, Telegram fulfilled 75 legal requests in Q1 2024, and in India, its largest market, the company satisfied 2461 legal requests in the same period.
Telegram CEO stated earlier that he is prepared to withdraw from markets where the company’s principles conflict with regulatory demands. Durov cited Russia and Iran as examples of countries where Telegram has previously pulled out due to disagreements with regulators over privacy and security issues.
Following the arrest, Durov was released under “judicial supervision,” which mandates that he remain in France.
