To show their support for privacy and the rights of developers, the Ethereum Foundation has stepped up by donating $1.25 million towards Alexey Pertsev’s legal defense. He’s the developer behind Tornado Cash, and he’s currently facing some serious legal challenges.

When announcing the donation on February 26th, the Foundation made their position crystal clear, saying:

“Privacy is normal, and writing code is not a crime.”

Pertsev expressed his genuine thanks for the contribution, explaining that these funds would be incredibly helpful, allowing him to fully concentrate on his appeal. He wrote:

“Thank you Ethereum Foundation for making a huge donation to my legal defense for the case in the Netherlands. I’m very grateful that I can now completely focus on preparing my appeal.”

The donation has really resonated and sparked a wave of support across the crypto world. Prominent figures like Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin and others have emphasized just how vital it is to protect developers from legal repercussions simply for creating open-source code.

Privacy-focused crypto exchange 0x0 also jumped in to reinforce this important point, stating:

“Privacy is a fundamental right, and developers shouldn’t be punished for writing open-source code. This is a crucial moment for the future of crypto privacy.”

Pertsev’s legal battle

Pertsev’s legal ordeal began in 2022 after the US government imposed sanctions on crypto mixer Tornado Cash, a platform he co-founded with Roman Semenov and Roman Storm.

Dutch authorities then arrested Pertsev, with allegations that he facilitated money laundering because he didn’t do enough to prevent illegal transactions through Tornado Cash. In May 2024, a Dutch court delivered a ruling stating that his involvement with Tornado Cash contributed to unlawful financial activities, and they sentenced him to five years in prison.

Just recently, Pertsev was temporarily released from detention. He quickly pointed out the significant financial burden of his case and his efforts to appeal the court’s decision. He said:

“Freedom is priceless, but my freedom cost a lot of money. My house arrest was only possible thanks to the work of lawyers, who were paid from your donations.”

Meanwhile, his co-founders are also facing legal scrutiny in the United States. However, in a surprising turn of events, a US court overturned the Treasury sanctions on Tornado Cash, ruling that targeting immutable smart contracts went beyond regulatory authority.