Alexey Pertsev, the developer of the Tornado Cash mixer based in Ethereum, obtained a supervised release after spending several months in a Dutch prison.
This decision marks a pivotal moment in the current discourse surrounding confidentiality tools in cryptographic space.
“It is not real freedom, but it is better than prison,” said Perseev. “Today, a Dutch court has suspended my pre -trial detention under the condition of electronic surveillance.”
Context: Tornado Cash, Alexey Pertsev and controversies
Initially presented in December 2019, Tornado Cash is an open-source and non-guardian cryptocurrency mixer running on Ethereum and other compatible networks. It helps consumers hide transaction stories by combining identifiable money with others, thus improving confidentiality.
However, this function has drawn the attention of regulators. In August 2022, the US Treasury Department prohibited the Tornado Treasury for helping to hide dirty money. This decision caused the project website and the closure of the GitHub accounts, and PétSEV was then closed by Dutch police.
Legal action vs. Dirty money
After his detention, Pertsev was charged in the Netherlands for using tornado cash to allow money laundering. Prosecutors said he helped allow the laundering of around $ 1.2 billion between July 2019 and August 2022.
Pertsev was found guilty by a Dutch court in May 2024 and sentenced to 64 months in prison. According to the court, Alexey Pertsev had “a story of launching money” during the designated period and the tornado money was “designed for criminals”.
Dear friends, Friday, February 7 at 10 a.m., I will be free! It is not real freedom, but it is better than prison. Today, a Dutch court has suspended my pre -trial detention under the condition of electronic surveillance. It will give me a chance to work on my call and fight for …
– Alexey Pertsev (@alex_pertsev) February 6, 2025
Community reaction and call programs
The cryptographic community has strongly responded to the conviction of Pantsev. Many have seen the decision as an insult of open source development and personal freedoms. The founder of Cryptocanal Eleonore Blanc said that she was “ashamed of the Dutch legal system” to be “blind and deaf to the real creativity and genius of Alexey & (Tornado Cash).”
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Pantsev’s legal team responded to the conviction by quickly submitting an appeal against the court’s decision and aimed at reversing the result.
Controlled version and future implications
In this legal drama, the last decision allowing the supervised exit Pertsev marks a dramatic change. Although particular circumstances of his release have not been made public, these plans generally involve the follow -up and the limits of specific activities.
Alexey Pertsev. Image credit: Andrés Tapia
This development allows Alexey Pertsev to prepare for his next call outside the prison. Debates concerning the balance between technological innovation, privacy and government regulations in the rapid landscape of cryptocurrencies remain at the heart of the issue.
The community carefully monitored this development due to its potential for the establishment of important precedents for the future of decentralized technology and the rights of open source developers.
The resolution of the call process will undoubtedly have important implications for the cryptocurrency sector and developers of solutions focused on confidentiality.
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