- Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino has added his voice to the many calls for the release of Telegram CEO Pavel Durov.
- French law enforcement arrested Durov at an Airport in Paris.
- Toncoin (TON) price declined sharply after the news.
In a post on X, the Tether chief executive officer Paolo Ardoino noted that Durov’s arrest is troubling and that the society should not allow itself to “lose the battle to defend freedom of speech.”
“The arrest of Pavel Durov for enabling free speech communications through Telegram is very concerning. If we, as a society, lose the battle to defend freedom of speech and communication, nothing else won’t matter, dark ages will be our future,” Ardoino wrote.
Telegram on EU compliance
Ardoino’s comments on August 26 follows Durov’s arrest in France over the weekend. In a statement on Monday, Telegram said it fully complies with European Union regulations, noting that it was “absurd” to claim abuse of the messaging app is the owner’s responsibility.
“Telegram abides by EU laws, including the Digital Services Act — its moderation is within industry standards and constantly improving,” the platform wrote. “Telegram’s CEO Pavel Durov has nothing to hide and travels frequently in Europe. It is absurd to claim that a platform or its owner are responsible for abuse of that platform,” the statement reads.
Apart from Ardoino, other prominent figures in the crypto space have criticised France’s arrest and detention of Durov.
TRON founder Justin Sun is among those to pledge support for a #FreeDurov initiative. In a statement, Sun said he would donate $1 million towards this goal, with the funds going to a decentralized autonomous organization (DAO).
We should show the cryptocurrency industry’s unity by organizing a #FreePavel DAO to help Telegram founder Pavel Durov legally gain freedom. I’ll donate $1 million if it’s created in a decentralized way with enough community support. @elonmusk @MarioNawfal
— H.E. Justin Sun 孙宇晨(hiring) (@justinsuntron) August 25, 2024
Durov’s arrest saw the price of Toncoin (TON) plummet over 16% to lows of $5.30. Currently, TON trades around $5.53.
