Tag: Kazakhstan

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. […]

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)

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]