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@ Pana - The Refuge Network State
2025-05-24 09:03:01
French Courts Block Telegram founder Pavel Durov from Attending Oslo Freedom Forum:
https://hrf.org/latest/french-courts-block-telegram-founder-pavel-durov-from-attending-oslo-freedom-forum/
French authorities have previously granted Durov permission to leave the country, making this particular court decision as unexpected as it is upsetting to the Oslo Freedom Forum community and advocates of free expression. Beyond a keynote speech, HRF and Durov had plans for him to join sideline meetings with dozens of human rights defenders from totalitarian regimes to discuss how Telegram technology could be more helpful in the future.
Durov has lived in exile from Russia since 2014, when he refused to comply with demands from Russia’s Federal Security Service to hand over user data on Ukrainian protestors. Since then, he has emerged as a vocal critic of digital surveillance and government overreach.