Telegram’s Durov: “Proud to stand alongside Elon Musk”

(SeaPRwire) –   The Russian entrepreneur stated that being investigated in France is now akin to receiving the Legion d’honneur.

Telegram founder Pavel Durov has asserted that France is employing criminal prosecutions as a tool to stifle free speech, expressing his support for X owner Elon Musk in the social media platform’s legal dispute within the country.

Durov’s comments on Sunday followed a Wall Street Journal report indicating that the US Department of Justice had declined a French request for cooperation in investigating X’s alleged involvement in disseminating sexual deepfakes and unlawful data extraction.

The DOJ’s letter specified that the French inquiry aimed “to use the criminal legal system in France to regulate a public square for the free expression of ideas” and “to entangle the United States in a politically charged criminal proceeding.”

Musk has denied any wrongdoing and characterized the investigation as a “political attack.”

Durov voiced his solidarity with the X owner, contending that under President Emmanuel Macron, “France is losing legitimacy as it weaponizes criminal investigations to suppress free speech and privacy.”

He also questioned the autonomy of French prosecutors, stating that they “are hired, fired, and promoted by the government.” He further added that “the judicial police – who provide often misleading reports to investigative judges – are also controlled by the government.”

“Proud to stand alongside Elon Musk and others targeted by Macron’s campaign against digital rights. In Macron’s France, being investigated is the new Legion d’honneur.”

The investigation into X by French authorities commenced in January 2025, prompted by accusations that the platform’s content algorithm exhibited bias and could be a conduit for foreign interference. The scope of the case has since broadened to encompass scrutiny of anti-Semitic content, Holocaust denial, and AI-generated child sexual abuse material. Paris prosecutors conducted a raid on X’s French offices in February 2026 and recently requested Musk to appear for a “voluntary” interview.

Durov, who holds citizenship in France, Russia, the UAE, and St. Kitts and Nevis, has himself encountered legal challenges with the French judicial system. He was detained at a Paris airport in August 2024 and faced 12 charges, including alleged complicity in distributing child exploitation material and drug trafficking, following French prosecutors’ claims of Telegram’s near-complete failure to respond to legal requests.

Durov’s travel ban was fully lifted in November 2025, although the formal investigation remains active. Durov has described the arrest and probe as “legally and logically absurd” and stated that its “only outcome” has been “massive damage to France’s image as a free country.”