Tag: Kazakhstan

Abusing legal tools, hostile governments reach across borders to persecute opponents. Imagine waking up to discover that your bank accounts have been blocked and your assets frozen. Shortly thereafter, you learn that your family’s private information, including banking, travel, and communication records, has been shared with a foreign government seeking to undermine your political freedoms […]

An overview of the state of democracy and the situation regarding respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms in Kazakhstan The Open Dialogue Foundation (ODF) on behalf of the human rights monitoring group #ActivistsNotExtremists presents an overview of the state of democracy and the situation regarding respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms in Kazakhstan. […]

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 […]

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 […]

On September 28, 2024, Lyudmyla Kozlovska, president of the Open Dialogue Foundation and a Ukrainian human rights defender, and Bota Jardemalie, a New York lawyer, Kazakh human rights defender, and Belgian political refugee, took part in the Proof of Work Summit and discussed how the misuse of AML and CFT laws and the weaponization of […]

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 […]