Ethereum core developer Federico Carrone, known as “Fede’s Intern” on X, confirmed he has been released after being detained in Turkey for 24 hours over alleged links to an Ethereum privacy protocol.
“I’m finally out, safe and free. There was a small moment were things looked very bad but thanks to help from many I got released,” Carrone said in an X post on Monday.
According to Carrone, Turkey’s Minister of Internal Affairs accused him of “helping others misuse Ethereum” in alleged connection to a privacy protocol. Carrone said he believes it is linked to a January 2022 research paper that assessed user-privacy on Ethereum and Tornado Cash.
“We never helped anyone engage in illegal activity, it was purely research on mixers and their properties,” Carrone said.
The incident adds to a concerning trend of crypto developers being arrested and detained over connections to open-source privacy protocols, none more notable than Tornado Cash co-creators Alexey Pertsev and Roman Storm, who is awaiting a final verdict in a high-profile trial in New York.
That outcome may establish a precedent for criminalizing open-source privacy tools, at least in the US, posing a serious risk to decentralized finance innovation while significantly restricting privacy rights.
Carrone now in Europe after receiving help
While Carrone is now in Europe, he said the situation wasn’t looking promising early on, having been told he would be stripped of his mobile phone and wouldn’t be able to speak with anyone.
Carrone said that fortunately, some of his close friends from the UAE, UK, US, Europe, Argentina and even the Catholic Church immediately stepped in to help, some contacting senior officials in Turkey to secure his release.
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Even members of the Solana ecosystem provided contacts and offered to assist, Carrone added.
“I will never forget their help and hope to one day give back to everyone who supported me.”
Carrone willing to return to Turkey to resolve it
The case is still ongoing, though, according to Carrone, adding that his Turkish attorney is still working on his defense.
“We still don’t have the full picture of what happened or why it happened, but we will bring in the best team we can and resolve this,” Carrone said. “If needed, [once] things are sorted out, I will come back to clear my name and defend ourselves.”
Carrone makes massive donation to Storm’s legal defense
On Tuesday, Carrone said he donated $500,000 worth of Ether (ETH) to assist Storm’s legal defense in light of what happened to him.
“Roman’s legal defense matters because builders everywhere need to know they can push innovation forward and that the community will stand behind them when they do.”
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