“Telegram will not restrict the freedoms of Romanian users or block their political channels.”
The demand for censorship came ahead of today’s scheduled Romanian presidential elections. Nicusor Dan, a mathematician turned liberal mayor of Bucharest, defeated right-wing nationalist opponent George Simion today to become the President of Romania.
In his post, Durov did not explicitly name the country that asked for the censorship. However, he hinted at it with a baguette emoji, understandably pointing to France. Durov wrote:
“You can’t “defend democracy” by destroying democracy. You can’t “fight election interference” by interfering with elections. You either have freedom of speech and fair elections — or you don’t. And the Romanian people deserve both.”
Durov added that Telegram did not impinge on the rights of protestors in Russia, Belarus, or Iran, and “won’t start doing it in Europe.”
“Despite numerous attempts at manipulation, Romanians tonight chose democracy, the rule of law, and the European Union.”
