Being investigated in France is \u201cthe new Legion d\u2019honneur,\u201d the Russian entrepreneur has said<\/p>\n
France is weaponizing criminal prosecution in an attempt to suppress free speech, Telegram founder Pavel Durov has said, as he backed X owner Elon Musk in the social media platform\u2019s legal case in the country.
\nDurov made the remarks on Sunday after the Wall Street Journal reported that the US Department of Justice had rejected a French request for assistance in investigating X\u2019s alleged role in distributing sexual deepfakes and unlawful data extraction.
\nThe DOJ letter stated that the French probe sought \u201cto use the criminal legal system in France to regulate a public square for the free expression of ideas\u201d and \u201cto entangle the United States in a politically charged criminal proceeding.\u201d
\nMusk has denied any wrongdoing and dismissed the probe as a \u201cpolitical attack.\u201d<\/p>\n
READ MORE: \u2018Free speech is pure bulls**t\u2019 \u2013 Macron<\/p>\n
Durov rallied behind the X owner, arguing that under President Emmanuel Macron, \u201cFrance is losing legitimacy as it weaponizes criminal investigations to suppress free speech and privacy.\u201d\u00a0
\nHe also disputed the independence of French prosecutors, saying they \u201care hired, fired, and promoted by the government.\u201d He added that \u201cthe judicial police \u2013 who provide often misleading reports to investigative judges \u2013 are also controlled by the government.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201dProud to stand alongside Elon Musk and others targeted by Macron\u2019s campaign against digital rights. In Macron\u2019s France, being investigated is the new Legion d\u2019honneur.\u201d<\/p>\n
The French investigation into X was first launched in January 2025, following allegations that the platform\u2019s content algorithm showed bias and could constitute foreign interference. The case has since expanded to include scrutiny of anti-Semitic content, Holocaust denial, and AI-generated child sexual abuse material. Paris prosecutors raided X\u2019s French offices in February 2026, and recently summoned Musk for a \u201cvoluntary\u201d interview.
\nDurov \u2013 a citizen of France, Russia, the UAE, and St. Kitts and Nevis \u2013 has himself clashed with the French judicial system. He was arrested at a Paris airport in August 2024 and indicted on 12 charges, including alleged complicity in distributing child exploitation material and drug trafficking, after French prosecutors cited Telegram\u2019s near-total failure to respond to legal requests.
\nDurov\u2019s travel ban was fully lifted in November 2025, though the formal investigation continues. Durov has called the arrest and probe \u201clegally and logically absurd\u201d and said its \u201conly outcome\u201d had been \u201cmassive damage to France\u2019s image as a free country.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Being investigated in France is \u201cthe new Legion d\u2019honneur,\u201d the Russian entrepreneur has said France is weaponizing criminal prosecution in an attempt to suppress free speech, Telegram founder Pavel Durov…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":33673,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":[],"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","footnotes":""},"categories":[4,6,3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-33672","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-economy","category-environment","category-politics"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t