Telegram CEO Pavel Durov’s Arrest Draws Vitalik’s Concern Over Western Bias

Key Points:

• Telegram CEO Pavel Durov, arrested in France on Aug 24, 2024, faces charges including unauthorized cryptography and child pornography conspiracy.
• Vitalik Buterin notes that defenders of arrest are mainly from Western countries, suggesting liberalism-westernism decoupling.

Vitalik Buterin observed a pattern in responses to Telegram CEO Pavel Durov’s arrest, noting that those defending it were mainly from Western countries.

The recent arrest of Pavel Durov, chief of Telegram, in France plunged into a sea of controversy, being reacted to by several important figures from the tech industry and government. According to a statement, French authorities held Durov on August 24, 2024, under a judicial inquiry launched on July 8, 2024.

Telegram CEO Pavel Durov’s Charges and Detention Details

The charges include the provision of cryptographic services without authorization, imports of cryptographic tools without declaration, conspiracy related to possession of child pornography, money laundering, and other charges. Durov may be detained for a period of 96 hours until August 28, 2024.

As CoinCu reported on August 25, it has been vehemently received, most notably from Russia, whose embassy has demanded some explanations from France; some Russian-speaking bloggers are calling for worldwide protests in front of French embassies.

Read more: French President Says Pavel Durov’s arrest Not Politically Motivated

Global Reactions to Durov’s Arrest

Several tech industry leaders have come together to support Durov. On Aug. 25, Elon Musk tweeted an interview video with the hashtag #FreePavel in which Durov lauded Musk’s efforts in fostering free speech in the formerly Twitter-owned X.

Justin Sun, founder of Tron, showed his support to Durov and offered $1 million on Aug. 26. Paolo Ardoino, CEO of market-leading stablecoin Tether, warned of the dangerous implications for free speech that this arrest might bring.

Meanwhile, Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin observed a pattern in the responses to Telegram CEO Pavel Durov’s arrest. Buterin noted that, based on his observations, individuals defending the arrest appeared to be predominantly from Western countries. 

Definitely don’t want to say that they don’t exist (after all, my timeline is biased just like anyone’s), just this is what my sample is so far. IMO this is another example of the decoupling of liberalism and westernism that x.com/MacaesBruno often talks about, Vitalik Buterin wrote in a post on warpcast.