The developer, now free, faced the prospect of eight years in prison after a neighbor accused him of calling her “stupid” during a land dispute.
Bitcoin Core Contributor Arrested After Dispute With Neighbor
In a twist of fate that could only unfold in the peculiar world of El Salvador, longtime Bitcoin Core developer Jon Atack found himself in handcuffs, a victim of a 2011 law designed to protect women from violence. The charge? Insulting his neighbor by calling her “stupid” during a heated argument over a piece of land. The police, ever vigilant, were ready to send him to jail, where he might have languished for up to eight years. 🤦♂️
El Salvador, a land known for its tragically high rate of femicide, enacted the “Special Comprehensive Law for a Life Free of Violence for Women” (LEIV) in 2011. This law, while noble in its intent, has led to some rather absurd situations, such as the one Atack found himself in. According to the World Bank, in 2018, one woman was the victim of a femicide every 24 hours in this South American state. 📊
LEIV has undoubtedly helped protect women from femicide and domestic violence, but its provisions on verbal and emotional abuse can be exploited in mundane disputes. Atack, in a series of posts on X, explained that the conflict stemmed from a land dispute. “This was about land,” he wrote. “The neighbors have been in a bitter fight with the seller of my land and another lawsuit is beginning.”
Atack had agreed to buy a piece of land from a Salvadoran seller last year. However, his neighbors were embroiled in a legal battle with the seller over the ownership of the land. Despite this, Atack proceeded with the purchase. On the day the money exchanged hands, the neighbors managed to convince a judge to seize part of the property. Confused, Atack approached his neighbors to resolve the issue. “I proposed we inform the judge of the mistake, liberate the land, and that I not be drawn into the legal conflict between them and the seller. That it would be dumb to litigate for this,” Atack recounted. 🤔
His neighbor, not amused by his suggestion, called the police, accusing him of insulting her. Under Article 55 (c) of LEIV, insulting a woman can be considered verbal or emotional abuse, punishable by a fine equivalent to “two to twenty-five” times the Salvadoran minimum wage, which is roughly $400 USD. However, Atack’s lawyer painted a much darker picture, suggesting he could face up to eight years in prison if found guilty. 😱
“My lawyer said this can be very serious,” Atack explained. “Starting with several days in jail to await a hearing, and up to 8 years in prison.” Atack was taken to the local police station, where his neighbor insisted on pressing charges. Just as he was about to be thrown into the slammer, the phone rang. 📞
“Around that time someone called the station to ask what this was about and the police filled the caller in,” said Atack. “The police said I would be free shortly. Then a half hour later they drove me home.” It’s not clear who made the call, but Stacy Herbert, an advisor to El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele and director of the National Bitcoin Office (ONBTC), assured Atack’s followers on X that he would be released soon.
“Jon Atack will be released very soon,” Herbert wrote. “This whole case was a matter of some verbal dispute between two neighbors.” Herbert also noted that President Bukele himself was once accused of violating LEIV by a female political opponent in 2017. Xochitl Marchelli, former municipal comptroller of San Salvador, accused Bukele of throwing an apple at her and calling her a “witch” during a council meeting. Bukele was acquitted in 2019, but Atack’s exoneration came much sooner. 🍏
“I was released around an hour later,” Atack recalled. “This was the first time I’ve been in cuffs and God willing also [be] the last time.” 🙏
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2025-07-07 09:57