Tag: financial exclusion

The penultimate episode of the Bitcoin web series dedicated to startups is now online. For the first time, non-profit projects take center stage: three initiatives competing to defend privacy, human rights, and the integrity of public documents through decentralized technologies and Bitcoin. After three episodes dedicated to for-profit startups, which we covered in recent weeks, […]

The Open Dialogue Foundation (ODF) welcomes the European Parliament’s efforts to develop accountability mechanisms using EU–Kyrgyzstan trade relations to address the transnational financial repressions through weaponisation of the financial sector and the misuse of anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing (AML/CFT) frameworks, SLAPP tactics by Kyrgyzstan. We are particularly grateful to the European Parliament for recognising […]

In the ongoing debate over the so-called ChatControl — an EU proposal that would enable large-scale scanning of private online messages to detect illegal content — Daniel Eck, a German political commentator associated with the center-right CDU/CSU camp, has voiced his opposition. In his statement, Eck clearly rejected the concept of “anlasslose Chatkontrolle,” or chat […]

The Open Dialogue Foundation recently sat down with Bitcoin News to share how Bitcoin is being used as a lifeline against financial repression. In the interview, our president Lyudmyla Kozlovska described how authoritarian regimes weaponize financial systems to silence activists, and how Bitcoin in self-custody remains one of the few tools that enables humanitarian aid, […]

Executive Summary This submission responds to the European Commission’s consultation on data retention by service providers for criminal proceedings. The Open Dialogue Foundation (ODF) recognises the importance of effective tools for criminal investigations but strongly emphasises that blanket or indiscriminate data retention is unlawful, disproportionate, and ineffective, as repeatedly confirmed by the Court of Justice […]

Commercial Court Upholds Press Freedom, Denies All Provisional Measures Sought by Kyrgyz Bank BRUSSELS, Belgium – July 31, 2025 – The Brussels Commercial Court has rejected all provisional measures sought by Bakai Bank OJSC Kyrgyzstan against the Open Dialogue Foundation (ODF), protecting the organization’s constitutional right to publish investigative reports on sanctions circumvention. The court […]

“Every single country right now can weaponize data. Every single citizen can be easily weaponized — through their travel data, communication, and financial data. This must be fixed immediately.” urged Lyudmyla Kozlovska. The President of the Open Dialogue Foundation, in an interview with Bitcoin Magazine, explained how digital currency is becoming a key tool for […]

Authoritarians are weaponizing financial surveillance — and human rights activist Lyudmyla Kozlovska is fighting back. In this interview, Bitcoin Magazine Political Correspondent Frank Corva speaks with Kozlovska, President of the Open Dialogue Foundation, on how KYC/AML regulations are being misused to target dissidents, freeze aid, and enable global repression. From FATF overreach to the real […]

As Bitcoin gains ground, governments respond with regulation, control, and the looming threat of CBDCs. In this BTC Prague 2025 panel, Lyudmyla Kozlovska moderates a discussion with Cristina Carrascosa, Štěpán Uherík, Brandon Karpelès, and Zachary Harvey on how Bitcoin builders are navigating the legal battlefield. They explore the risks of overregulation, how to defend financial […]

On 24 June 2025, President of the Open Dialogue Foundation Lyudmyla Kozlovska testified at a hearing of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission in the U.S. Congress on transnational financial repression. The hearing focused on testimonies of several human rights experts, and the following discussion focused on policies and instruments that should be employed to prevent and […]

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 […]

Read the full article: humanrightscommission.house.gov See also: Lyudmyla Kozlovska testifies on transnational repression at Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission in US Congress (June 26, 2025)

Lyudmyla Kozlovska, President of the Open Dialogue Foundation, discusses the intersection of Bitcoin, human rights, and the weaponization of financial regulations. She highlights the dangers of transnational financial repression, where authoritarian regimes exploit financial action task force (FATF) and anti-money laundering (AML) regulations to target individuals and organizations. The discussion emphasizes the need for privacy […]

In 2022, Kazakhstan’s special services orchestrated a collective criminal complaint in Belgium against the Open Dialogue Foundation and its President, human rights activist Lyudmyla Kozlovska. The operatives, filing complaints on behalf of their minor children, accused the Foundation and its President in harassment, slander and cyberbullying, posed as victims, and demanded the removal of social […]

The Kazakhstani authorities are weaponising international anti-money laundering mechanisms to prosecute Barlyk Mendygaziyev, his relatives, colleagues and business, not only in Kazakhstan but also in the United States Introduction The case of Barlyk Mendygaziyev, an American-Kazakhstani investor and philanthropist, is a prime example of how authoritarian regimes weaponise the international anti-money laundering (AML/CFT) mechanisms established […]