Ethereum developer "Fede" released in Turkey! Generously donated 500,000 USD to support Roman Storm.

Ethereum developer “Fede’s intern” announced on X (formerly Twitter) this Monday that he has been “safely and freely” released after being briefly detained in Turkey. This Argentine blockchain engineer not only recounted the details of his detention but also immediately announced after his release that he would donate $500,000 to the legal defense of Tornado Cash co-founder Roman Storm, in support of the rights of crypto developers in legal disputes.

Turkey Detention Incident: Blocked Entry Due to ‘Abuse of Ethereum’ Charges

Fede’s intern stated that he arrived in Izmir, Turkey on Sunday, with plans to meet local builders and merchants to advance a DeFi project. However, during the passport check, the police detained him on the grounds of accusations from the Turkish Ministry of Interior, alleging that he was involved in “abusing Ether.”

His lawyer explained that the charges are related to a privacy agreement, but the specific agreement name has not been made public. Fede’s intern emphasized that his team did not develop any privacy features, but rather wrote an academic paper and code regarding cryptocurrency mixers, exploring the technical possibilities of user de-anonymization, and did not engage in any illegal activities.

Indirect connection with the Tornado Cash case

Fede’s intern mentioned that the incident reminded him of the situation where Tornado Cash developer Alexey Pertsev was arrested. At that time, his team had received research inquiries related to Tornado Cash and published a de-anonymization technical paper.

He emphasized that the purpose of these studies is for security review and technical discussion, rather than to assist any illegal transactions.

The first step after being released from prison: Donate $500,000 to support Roman Storm

After the announcement of the release, Fede’s intern stated that the original plan of Lambda Class was to donate $50,000 to support Roman Storm’s defense, but after this incident, he decided to raise the amount to $500,000.

Roman Storm was charged with conspiracy to commit money laundering and violation of sanctions in 2023 for operating Tornado Cash. Last week, a New York jury found him guilty of operating an unlicensed money transfer business, and his legal team is currently preparing to appeal. The Ethereum Foundation had previously pledged to provide up to $500,000 in donation support.

Defending the Spirit of Open Source and Decentralization

Fede’s intern wrote on X: “Open source and decentralization are not just philosophical concepts, but the core of driving innovation. Builders around the world need to know that when they dare to innovate, the community will support them from behind.”

He urged the encryption community to unite and ensure that developers are not isolated and helpless due to legal gray areas while promoting technological advancement.

Conclusion

Fede’s intern was released from Turkey and generously donated $500,000 to support Roman Storm, not only as a personal action but also as a public show of support for the encryption developer community. As the Tornado Cash case continues to evolve, this debate over open source, privacy, and regulatory boundaries is bound to attract wider attention and discussion within the global encryption circle. For more updates on encryption law and developer dynamics, please follow the official Gate platform.