ISTANBUL

Telegram founder and CEO Pavel Durov argued that France is not a free country, claiming it is the only nation "criminally persecuting all social networks that give people some degree of freedom."

Following reports that French police are raiding the Paris offices of social media platform X, Durov said on X: "Don’t be mistaken: this is not a free country."

Durov previously criticized the French government, alleging that President Emmanuel Macron is trying to silence online criticism by turning the European Union into a "digital Gulag" (forced labor camps).

The CEO also claimed Macron says Europeans are "completely wrong to use social networks for information" and should instead depend on journalists and established outlets.

French police specializing in cybercrime raided the X offices on Tuesday; the Paris prosecutor said the raid relates to an investigation into the content recommended by the platform's algorithm and its controversial AI chatbot, Grok.

The investigation into X, which was expanded on Tuesday, involves allegations of complicity in the distribution of pornographic images of minors and the dissemination of Holocaust denial content through the Grok.

Durov himself remains under judicial supervision in France following his 2024 arrest, though his travel ban was reportedly lifted in November 2025.