Alexey Pertsev, a developer of Tornado Cash, has been granted release from prison by a Dutch court, which has suspended his pretrial detention as he prepares to appeal his money laundering conviction from May 2024. Receiving a sentence of five years and four months, Pertsev stated that while he is no longer incarcerated, he remains under electronic monitoring, which he feels does not equate to true freedom. His release was set for February 7 at 9 am UTC. During his trial, he argued that he shouldn't be held liable for the illicit uses of Tornado Cash, but the court disagreed, saying more efforts should have been taken to prevent such misuse. Pertsev was detained since 2022, and previous bail attempts had been denied. The case has raised concerns about the prosecution of software developers and privacy in the crypto space, with some calling it a chilling effect on innovation.

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