Real-time updates | Telegram founder arrested, may face up to 20 years in prison

On August 25, Telegram CEO Pavel Durov was arrested by police at a French airport. Pavel Durov may face multiple charges including fraud, money laundering, and terrorism. According to the Russian Satellite News Agency, Durov, who has dual French and Russian citizenship, may face up to 20 years in prison.

For more information about Pavel Durov’s past experiences, please refer to: "A brief biography of the Durov brothers, founders of Telegram, and the "rebellious" road of a genius boy"

Affected by this news, Ton fell more than 10% in 24 hours. BlockBeats has compiled the latest developments and views of all parties as follows, and will continue to follow up:

Telegram Wallet: We are paying close attention to news related to Pavel Durov, and Wallet operations are not affected

On August 25, Telegram Wallet posted on its official channel: "We are paying close attention to recent news about Telegram founder Pavel Durov, but these events will not affect the operation of Wallet in any way."

Many celebrities have expressed their concerns about Pavel Durov. Show support

On August 25, after Telegram CEO Pavel Durov was arrested by French police, several celebrities expressed their support for Pavel Durov.

Tucker Carlson, a well-known American political commentator and journalist, said that Durov was imprisoned in France tonight for "not allowing the public to exercise freedom of speech", which is a living warning to any platform owner who refuses to censor the truth as required by the government and intelligence agencies.

Franklin Bi, partner of venture capital fund Pantera Capital, posted a short message "#FreePavel".

Jupiter founder Meow said this was "borrowing a knife to kill".

Elon Musk commented on X, "This is propaganda for the First Amendment of the US Constitution." And sarcastically "It's Europe in 2030, and you are being executed for liking a meme."

French media: Pavel Durov decided to go to Paris despite knowing he was wanted by France

On August 25, according to the French newspaper Le Monde, Telegram CEO Pavel Durov was arrested accompanied by bodyguards and assistants. He arrived in Paris from Baku on a private plane and was expected to spend at least one night in Paris. The billionaire knew he was wanted in France, but he still decided to go to Paris. Previously, Pavel Durov became a French citizen in 2021 through a special procedure and currently holds dual French and Russian citizenship.

Pavel Durov and his brother Nikolaï launched Telegram in 2013. Telegram is committed to protecting user privacy. In a rare interview in Dubai in April, Pavel Durov said that he came up with the idea of launching encrypted messaging when he created the social network VK under great pressure from Russian authorities. So he left Russia in 2014, and then tried to settle in Berlin, London, Singapore and San Francisco, and finally set up the headquarters of Telegram in Dubai.

French media: Telegram has limited means of banning and serves as a refuge for illegal political movements

On August 25, according to the French newspaper Le Monde, the Telegram platform is often criticized for its lack of supervision and will only carry out partial and very limited bans. Due to the lack of regulatory rules, Telegram has become a refuge for many political movements that are banned on all other platforms, such as the conspiracy movement QAnon, and Hamas, which has opened dozens of official and unofficial accounts there.

Telegram once blocked one of Hamas' official channels in Europe. The group, called "Hamas Movement," has about 150,000 subscribers. The channel posted a video of Hamas activists kidnapping French-Israeli hostage Mia Schem during the attack on the Nova Tribe Music Festival on October 7, 2023. But Telegram's regulatory actions are still partial and very limited.

Former US official: Durov once had a good relationship with the French president, and the charges for his arrest were fabricated political events

On August 25, according to the Russian Satellite News Agency, former CIA analyst Larry Johnson said: "Telegram is one of the few channels that actually allows information criticizing Western policies to continue to spread. I think this is really the root of the problem."

The analyst called the charges against Durov a "fabricated political case," suggesting they were designed to intimidate the tech entrepreneur. "There was a time when he was considered friendly with [French President Emmanuel] Macron," Johnson added. "But that is clearly over, because this arrest would not have happened without Macron's knowledge and approval."

Telegram founder could face up to 20 years in prison

Durov, who holds dual French and Russian citizenship, could face up to 20 years in prison, according to the Russian Sputnik news agency on August 25. His arrest was due to a lack of content moderation on Telegram and his failure to cooperate with French law enforcement. The charges stem from a search warrant issued by the General Directorate of the French National Judicial Police.

Telegram founder Pavel Durov is scheduled to appear before a judge on Saturday evening local time, facing multiple charges ranging from terrorism, drug trafficking, fraud, money laundering and child abuse.

TON TVL fell more than 60% in a single day, currently about $310 million

On August 25, according to DefiLlama data, TON TVL fell sharply and is currently $310 million, down more than 60% from its historical high of $777 million, and a single-day drop of 60.62%.

Russian State Duma Deputy Chairman Davankov called on the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs to rescue Pavel Durov

On August 25, according to CCTV News, Russian State Duma Deputy Chairman Davankov called on the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs to rescue Pavel Durov in the early morning of the 25th. He said that he had sent a corresponding request to Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov. The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that the Russian Embassy in France has taken necessary measures to understand the relevant situation of Pavel Durov.

Pavel Durov was born in 1984. The media said that he has multiple nationalities including Russia, France, and the United Arab Emirates. It is reported that because Pavel Durov is a French citizen, he will not be exchanged or extradited to other countries.

Elon Musk commented on Durov's arrest: This is an advertisement for "protecting freedom of speech"

On August 25, Elon Musk commented on the arrest of Telegram CEO Pavel Durov by French police on social media and said that "this is to promote the First Amendment of the US Constitution." He also sarcastically said, "It's Europe in 2030, and you were executed for liking a meme."

Note: The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution is part of the U.S. Bill of Rights, which guarantees citizens the freedom to express their opinions in public and political affairs. Its main contents include: freedom of speech, freedom of the press and other rights.

Dogs: We support Pavel Durov, privacy and truth are particularly important

On August 25, Dogs posted a message on the official Telegram channel to support Telegram founder Pavel Durov, "We support Pavel Durov, privacy and truth are particularly important."

TON issued a statement on the "arrest of Telegram CEO": TON will continue to operate in full

On August 25, TON issued a statement on the "arrest of Telegram CEO", "asking everyone that the TON community is still strong and fully operational."

"As a community committed to freedom of speech and decentralization, we firmly support Pavel in this challenging time. Pavel has always been a loyal advocate of these values, and we believe that his efforts to promote an open and decentralized Internet will continue to inspire millions of people. The TON community remains focused on our mission, and we will continue to work hard to uphold these principles around the world. We encourage everyone to remain calm, united, and continue to build as we work together to deal with this situation. Thank you for your continued support."

Telegram CEO may face multiple charges including fraud, money laundering, terrorism, etc.

On August 25, according to TheBlock, Telegram founder and CEO Pavel Durov was arrested in France and detained by agents of the French National Anti-Fraud Office. Durov was arrested after traveling from Azerbaijan with a woman and his bodyguard to Paris' Le Bourget airport, which specializes in serving private jets. According to reports, based on preliminary investigations, OFMIN, France's investigative agency against child sexual exploitation, issued a search warrant for him. It is reported that Durov usually rarely travels in Europe, and perhaps to avoid being detained in this way, his arrest warrant is only valid on French territory.

Durov may meet with the investigating judge on Saturday evening, and then on Sunday he may be indicted for multiple crimes, including: terrorism, drugs, conspiracy, fraud, money laundering, receiving stolen goods, child crime content" and other charges. An investigator from the French National Anti-Fraud Office said: "Pavel Durov will eventually be detained before trial, that's for sure. On Telegram, he allowed countless crimes and crimes to be committed, and he did nothing to ease or cooperate."