Telegram founder says he rejects request to 'silence' conservative voices in Romania

Telegram founder Pavel Durov said Sunday he refused an unnamed Western European government’s request to silence conservative voices in Romania ahead of its presidential run-off, affirming that Telegram will not block political channels or curb users’ freedoms.

Telegram founder Pavel Durov said on Sunday that he turned down an unnamed Western European government’s request to “silence” conservative voices in Romania ahead of its presidential run-off. In a Telegram post—accompanied by a baguette emoji, perhaps alluding to France—Durov wrote that he “flatly refused” to block political channels and affirmed that Telegram would not curtail Romanian users’ freedoms. Durov was arrested near Paris last August, placed under formal investigation and banned from leaving France before returning to Dubai in March.

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