Tag: Kazakhstan

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 […]

Her Excellency Kaja KallasHigh Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security PolicyVice-President of the European CommissionEuropean External Action Service 28 February 2025 Subject: Urgent concerns regarding human rights violations in Kazakhstan ahead of EU-Central Asia engagement Your Excellency, On behalf of the human rights monitoring group #ActivistsNotExtremists, we are writing to express […]

1. Summary The year 2024 and January 2025 were record-breaking for Kazakhstan in terms of violations of human rights and fundamental freedoms. Human rights defenders of the monitoring group ActivistsNon-Extremists believe that political rights and freedoms in the country remain merely as declarations: The Ministry of Justice of Kazakhstan has officially refused 25 times to […]

Introduction Daniyar Khasenov is a Kazakhstani human rights defender who was forced to leave Kazakhstan in 2019 due to politically motivated criminal prosecution. The Kazakhstani authorities are continuing a transnational repression against Khasenov because of his human rights and expert work. In July 2023, the Lithuanian Migration Department refused to grant Daniyar Khasenov asylum or […]

Bota Jardemalie: The way from Harvard law graduate to prominent human rights defender “Human rights are the cornerstone of our freedom and dignity, the basis for economic prosperity, and the foundation for a just and equitable society. Defending them in Kazakhstan is crucial because, without these fundamental rights, my country has no future. Without them, […]

Paul Van Tigchelt, Minister of JusticeCellule stratégique et secrétariat du Vice-Premier ministre et Ministre de la Justice et de la Mer du NordFINTO – Boulevard du jardin Botanique, 50/65 – 6ème étage1000 Bruxelles, Belgique [email protected] Direction Générale « Législation, Libertés et Droits fondamentaux », Boulevardde Waterloo, 115, 1000 Brussels, Belgium,[email protected] The European Parliament, European Council and European Commission, The U.S. […]

Kazakhstan’s anti-extremist measures against freedom of assembly and association, activists, journalists, and bloggers 1. Introduction 1.1. This Submission was prepared jointly by the Open Dialogue Foundation, Freedom Kazakhstan Foundation together with human rights experts from the #ActivistsNotExtremists coalition as a contribution to the review of the fourth cycle of the UPR on Kazakhstan. It presents […]

Political persecution in response to human rights work and eco-activism. The role of Chevron Corporation in corporate raiding in Kazakhstan. Introduction The Kazakhstani authorities are trying to convince the international community that President Tokayev is carrying out democratic reforms in the country. However, the facts are to the contrary — large-scale political repression against critics […]

As a high-level introduction, Lyudmyla Kozlovska founded the Open Dialogue Foundation (“ODF”) in 2009 with the goal of protecting human rights, supporting democracy, and assisting those who are subject to political persecution in Eastern Europe. She also founded the Building True Change Coalition (“BTC Coalition”) to address financial exclusion, political oppression and deliver humanitarian aid, while promoting the role […]

Executive summary This report is the eighth in a series of reports on how third-party countries, especially Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, are assisting Russia in its war against Ukraine. This report focuses on:  the interim results of Western and Ukrainian policies towards Russia and recommendations for strengthening the effectiveness of sanctions mechanisms; analysing the consequences of […]

Marat Danebayev – is a brother of a prominent Kazakhstani political prisoner Timur Danebayev. Marat Danebayev faced the risk of politically motivated persecution in Kazakhstan because he publicly covering the facts of ongoing repression against his brother, who is not receiving necessary medical care and is being held in unacceptable conditions. Marat was forced to […]

Yet another libel case was concluded in our favour the District Court in Warsaw. On 19 December 2023, the court ordered Balli Marzec, the self-proclaimed “leader of the Kazakhstani opposition abroad”, known for her anti-Ukrainian views, to apologise and pay a total of PLN 20,000 compensation to the Open Dialogue Foundation for violation of personal rights. […]

MEPs and prominent human rights defenders are calling on Lithuania not to make the mistake of handing Daniyar Khassenov over to Kazakhstan. Khassenov lives in Lithuania and is facing forced expulsion by a court decision. The deportation of Daniyar Khassenov from Lithuania was initiated by the Lithuanian Migration Department. Khassenov is known as a human […]

Russia is threatened with exclusion from the international system of combating money laundering. The issue of Russia’s inclusion on the blacklist of the organisation in question – the FATF (Financial Action Task Force) – was considered at Ukraine’s request at a recent FATF session. The decision has not yet been made, but it may be […]

Lyudmyla Kozlovska, President of the Open Dialogue Foundation (ODF), participated in the Bitcoin Amsterdam Conference, which took place from 12 to 14 October 2023. During the panel discussion at the conference Bitcoin is borderless, she shared her story of how Bitcoin allowed her to fight for human rights, help Ukraine during the war, and deal […]