Western European Country Asks Telegram to ‘Silence’ Conservatives in Romania
The website of the Telegram messaging app is seen on a notebook screen in Munich, Germany, Monday, Oct. 17, 2022.
MOSCOW (Sputnik) – A Western European country has asked Telegram to “silence” conservatives in Romania ahead of the presidential election run-off, Telegram founder Pavel Durov said on Sunday. “A Western European government (guess which [an icon of baguette]) approached Telegram, asking us to silence conservative voices in Romania ahead of today’s presidential elections. I flatly refused,” Durov wrote on his Telegram channel. He added that Telegram would not limit the freedom of Romanian users or block their political channels. “You cannot ‘defend democracy’ by destroying democracy. You cannot ‘fight election interference’ by interfering with elections. You either have freedom of speech and fair elections — or you do not. And the Romanian people deserve both,” Durov said. WorldA New Face in Romania’s Presidential Race: Meet George Simion5 May, 13:14 GMTThe presidential election run-off is taking place in Romania on Sunday. The leader of the opposition hard-right Alliance for the Union of Romanians, George Simion, who won the first round with 41% of the vote, is facing Bucharest Mayor Nicusor Dan, an independent candidate who came in second with 21%.