Durov praises Uzbekistan amid French scandal

Telegram founder Pavel Durov revealed that he had visited Uzbekistan and spoke positively about his experience. He made these remarks during an interview with American journalist Tucker Carlson.

While discussing his controversial arrest in France, Durov recalled his trip to Uzbekistan. He described the arrest not only as a personal injustice but also as damaging to France’s international image.

“Such decisions are harmful not only to my relatives, my company or me, but to all of France,” Durov stated.

He added that he had always been open to cooperation with the French government and described the incident as “a shot in the back of your head.”

The discussion also explored how such incidents have influenced the way business leaders perceive Europe. According to Durov, many of his acquaintances — from startup founders to CEOs of large corporations — now question whether it is safe to travel to France.

“A friend of mine, a startup CEO, said, ‘I was scared to come here,’” he shared.

In a surprising turn, Tucker Carlson brought up Uzbekistan, describing it as a safe destination that contradicts stereotypes about former Soviet republics. Although Carlson admitted he had never visited the country, he said he had never heard anyone speak negatively about it.

“I’m not promoting Uzbekistan. But I’ve never met a single person who said, ‘I’m scared to go to Uzbekistan,’” Carlson said.

Durov responded by saying he had traveled to Uzbekistan last summer and was pleased with his visit.

“I didn’t even know this fact (that people are not afraid of Uzbekistan). But that’s exactly the point. Some countries we were raised to view as primitive or as systems ruled by monarchs instead of laws turn out to be quite normal — for you, for me, or for any ordinary person who believes in human rights. But France or Great Britain is a different matter,” Carlson concluded.

To recall, Pavel Durov was arrested at Paris airport on the evening of August 24 last year. The French authorities had issued an arrest warrant for him on March 25, 2024. At the same time, his brother Nikolai Durov, who co-founded Telegram, was also placed under an arrest warrant.

The charges against the Durov brothers involved alleged participation in the possession, distribution, or solicitation of pornographic images involving minors.

On August 26, the French prosecutor’s office stated that 12 individuals were under investigation for crimes, including refusal to cooperate with authorities, complicity in the possession of pornographic images of minors, drug distribution, and involvement in hacking-related activities.

On August 28, Durov was released on bail of 5 million euros. He was prohibited from leaving France and was required to report to the police twice weekly.

Later, Durov publicly expressed his frustration about being unable to leave France despite the passage of time since his release.