Telegram founder Pavel Durov has had his passport returned, leading to a 20% increase in TON tokens.

Pavel Durov, the founder of Telegram, had his passport returned by French authorities after being arrested on charges of aiding criminal activity, marking the end of a lengthy battle for freedom of speech. The $TON token associated with Telegram surged 20% following the news, surpassing $3.45. Durov is now free to travel, with his passport returned. The legal struggle with French authorities has been described as a fight for freedom of speech. Durov has been a staunch advocate for free speech. He co-founded the Telegram app, which has nearly a billion users, promoting privacy and secure communication. The $TON community supports Durov's stance and uses cryptocurrency to encourage freedom of speech. The $TON community stated, "Since Pavel’s arrest on August 24, 2024, we have been supporting him. Despite facing the most challenging environment, Pavel's unwavering commitment to freedom of speech and transparency reminds us to uphold our principles even in politically and personally adverse situations." In August 2024, the $TON community condemned the French authorities for detaining Durov, stating, "The arrest of Telegram founder Pavel Durov is a direct attack on the fundamental human right of freedom of expression for all." Durov claimed that French authorities failed to communicate with him clearly and ignored their ability to contact him and reach his legal team. He further stated that he had been cooperating with authorities and posed no flight risk. On December 6, 2024, Durov asserted that he did not create Telegram in 2013 to assist criminal activities. He mentioned that approximately 20 million accounts and 1 million groups are deleted every month. Durov insists that he and his brother created Telegram to provide a secure messaging service, not as a tool for criminal activity. In September 2024, Durov made a statement on his Telegram channel claiming that French authorities could have contacted his EU representative instead of arresting him. He expressed disappointment over a CEO being held accountable for user behavior on their platform. In August 2024, Durov was arrested at Le Bourget Airport and interrogated. He was released after paying €5 million but was prohibited from leaving the country and had his passport confiscated. However, French authorities accused Durov of aiding in the distribution of abusive materials, drug trafficking, and organized crime. They claimed he did not cooperate with them and failed to provide the requested information. The $TON community called for intervention from the UN, EU, and the Council of Europe at the time of Durov's arrest. Advocates for freedom of speech pointed out that Durov's arrest puts the entire movement at risk, eroding the foundations of privacy technology and implementing excessive regulation. Rumble CEO Chris Pavlovski commented in August 2024 that French authorities threatened Rumble and broadly cracked down on free speech. He further stated that he could safely leave France at the time. The price of $TON plummeted after the news of Durov's arrest in France in August 2024 became public. It remains unclear if $TON tokens' sustainability will be affected if Telegram is banned or partially restricted due to Durov's persecution. Telegram's user base is nearing 1 billion, partly due to the platform's use of crypto games. Crypto games are a highly popular application service that attracted over 300 million players in just a few months. The $TON network was initially created on Telegram but has since become independent from the platform. Telegram abandoned the project in 2020 when regulators began scrutinizing the token. However, in recent years, Telegram has continued to integrate $TON into its operations.