Telegram founder Pavel Durov gained court approval to leave France for up to 14 days to travel to Dubai, United Arab Emirates, where the company is headquartered.
Durov will be allowed to leave France on July 10 after having a travel request denied by French officials in May, according to French news outlet Le Monde.
The executive had requested permission to travel to Oslo, Norway, to deliver a keynote address at the Human Rights Foundation’s Oslo Freedom Forum, which was presented remotely after French officials rejected his travel application.
Durov was previously granted permission to leave France for several weeks in March and early April to return to Dubai. The Open Network Society (TON) celebrated the temporary travel relief as a win for freedom of speech.
Since that time, the Telegram founder has been making rounds to discuss his ongoing legal case in the EU, which has been monitored by free speech advocates, privacy enthusiasts and the crypto community as an indicator of individual liberty in Europe and the broader Western world.
Related: Telegram founder Durov on arrest, detention in France: ‘I’m confused’
Durov slams the French government in a recent interview with local news outlet
Durov warned of impending societal collapse in France during an interview with French news outlet Le Point.
“Emmanuel Macron isn’t making the right choices,” Durov told Le Point on Wednesday, referring to the French president. “I’m very disappointed. France is getting weaker and weaker.”
Pro-censorship policies and overregulation are driving talent away from France and into localities that are embracing innovation, Durov said.
“When we delay necessary reforms too long, we end up experiencing a collapse,” he said, while also warning that once the social patterns engineered by the state permeate one or two generations, the changes may take decades to undo and reverse the damage.
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