El Salvador’s president, Nayib Bukele, has waded into the debate over the arrest of Telegram CEO Pavel Durov, pledging his support to the beleaguered tech billionaire.
Durov was detained near Paris late on Saturday, over alleged offenses relating to his Telegram app. French law enforcement cited a lack of moderation on the platform and a failure to cooperate with police effectively, and criminal enterprises were left to roam on the instant messaging site.
President Bukele, a keen supporter of cryptocurrency, has sent a message in praise of free speech, implying the detention of Durov would never have materialized in the small Central American state.
His remarks have gained recognition from X chief Elon Musk, who has been at the forefront of support for his Telegram counterpart.
El Salvador is not only the safest country in the Western Hemisphere, but we also guarantee that you won’t be arrested, censored, or have your assets seized for exercising your right to free speech.
And there’s no property tax 🤷🏻♂️
— Nayib Bukele (@nayibbukele) August 25, 2024
El Salvador continues to accrue Bitcoin holdings
El Salvador adopted Bitcoin as a legal tender in September 2021. It is thought to have BTC holdings over $372 million, with continued efforts to increase its assets. The country which also uses the US Dollar as an official currency, has gained prominence in the crypto community as a location with no taxes on foreign property and tech.
The country has been adding 1 BTC daily since mid-March this year, with its progress visible via a publicly trackable cold wallet. Blockchain analysts, Arkham Intelligence states El Salvador’s s 5.854K Bitcoin holdings are worth $372,181,963.60 at the time of writing.
President Bukele’s initiatives have attracted the presence of Google in the small nation, while he has also set up a Bitcoin-based foreign investment bank. The head of state has also been critical of the US government for its overreach in control and influence, but his claims of El Salvador as a beacon of liberty and transparency are not shared universally.
The country was ranked 133rd out of 180 countries in the World Press Freedom Index 2024, down 18 places from the previous year
Reporters Without Borders, which compiles the poll rankings, stated on its website, “Since taking office in June 2019, President Nayib Bukele has attacked and threatened journalists critical of his government.”
Image credit: Gobierno Danilo Medina/Flickr
