Crypto Leaders Rally for Pavel Durov’s Release Amid Arrest Controversy

Paolo Ardoino, CEO of Tether and CTO of Bitfinex, has expressed his concerns about the recent detention of Pavel Durov, founder of Telegram and TON.

Durov was arrested at a Paris airport after arriving from the CIS region and could face up to 20 years in prison for allegedly refusing to comply with French law enforcement demands and for not censoring content on Telegram.

French officials claim this has contributed to a rise in illegal activities on the platform. The arrest has sparked a strong reaction from the cryptocurrency and free speech communities.

Elon Musk, owner of X (formerly Twitter), was among the first to speak out, using the hashtag #FreePavel in his tweet. Ardoino echoed Musk’s sentiments, expressing concern that such actions against platforms that resist censorship could undermine global free speech.

Justin Sun, founder of Tron, also voiced support for Durov, suggesting the creation of a decentralized autonomous organization (DAO) to advocate for Durov’s release.

Sun pledged $1 million to this initiative if it garners sufficient backing from the crypto community and urged Musk and entrepreneur Mario Nawfal to join the effort.