Lyudmyla Kozlovska, President of the Open Dialogue Foundation, will take part in a hearing of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission on transnational repression and potential policy approaches to addressing this problem. The event will take place on 24 June 2025 at the seat of the United States Congress in Washington, D.C.
The hearing will be chaired by Congressmen James P. McGovern and Chris Smith, and in addition to the head of the ODF, the following individuals will appear as witnesses:
- Yana Gorokhovskaia, Research Director for Strategy and Design, Freedom House
- Ahmad Noorani, Editor, Fact Focus
- Ria Chakrabarty, Senior Policy Director, Hindus for Human Rights
- Joey Siu, Spokesperson, Amnesty International Hong Kong Overseas
- Paulo Figueiredo, Investigative Journalist
Transnational repression is receiving growing interest from policymakers and attention from researchers who monitor its expansion. The Department of Justice defines transnational repression (TNR) as a “range of tactics that foreign governments employ to reach beyond their borders to harm, intimidate, threaten, harass, or coerce individuals. Targeted victims of transnational repression often include political dissidents and activists, journalists, political opponents, religious and ethnic minority groups, and members of diaspora and exile communities.”
According to the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, the hearing – at which, among others, the president of the Open Dialogue Foundation will appear as a witness – will examine new developments and trends since the Commission’s last hearing on this issue in February 2024, including the use of financial institutions in attempts to silence criticism and dissent. The hearing is open to Members of Congress, congressional staff, the media and the public. The public and the media may attend in person or view the hearing by live webcast on the Commission website.
In the media:
- Human Rights Commission: Transnational Repression: Trends and Policy Approaches (14.07.2025)
Cover photo: lualuatv.net
