Political Repressions and Political Prisoners in Kazakhstan

Political Repressions and Political Prisoners in 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. […]

SLAPP & Transnational Financial Repression across Belgium/EU and the United States: The Case Against Lyudmyla Kozlovska and the Open Dialogue Foundation

SLAPP & Transnational Financial Repression across Belgium/EU and the United States: The Case Against Lyudmyla Kozlovska and the Open Dialogue Foundation

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 […]

Statement by Witold Waszczykowski

Statement by Witold Waszczykowski

‘I, Witold Waszczykowski, do hereby apologise to Lyudmyla Kozlovska and Bartosz Kramek for the infringement of their personal rights in the form of good name and dignity, and the Open Dialogue Foundation with its registered office in Warsaw (registration in the National Court Register (KRS) no.: 0000353754) for the infringement of its personal right in […]

Investigation into abuse of power by prosecution and special services against Przemysław Krych

Investigation into abuse of power by prosecution and special services against Przemysław Krych

On 17 March 2025, the District Prosecutor’s Office in Lublin launched an investigation into the alleged abuse of power by officers of the Central Anti-Corruption Bureau (CBA) and the Regional Prosecutor’s Office in Katowice. The investigation was initiated following an offence notification submitted by Bartosz Kramek, Chair of Supervisory Board of the Open Dialogue Foundation […]

Investigation launched into alleged blackmail of prominent businessman by security services. Senior PiS-era official involved

Investigation launched into alleged blackmail of prominent businessman by security services. Senior PiS-era official involved

The Regional Prosecutor’s Office in Lublin has launched an investigation into a gross abuse of power by officials from the Provincial Prosecutor’s Office in Katowice and the Central Anti-Corruption Bureau (CBA). The alleged offence occurred during the arrest of well-known businessman Przemysław Krych. Przemysław Krych is a financier and investor, widely regarded as a prominent […]

Prosecutors investigate alleged abuse of power by CBA and ABW

Prosecutors investigate alleged abuse of power by CBA and ABW

The Prosecutor’s Office in Lublin has opened an investigation into, among other issues, the alleged influence peddling in the Poland’s Internal Security Agency (ABW) and the Central Anti-Corruption Bureau (CBA) during proceedings led by the Provincial Prosecutor’s Office in Katowice. The case concerns a businessman who was detained by the CBA in 2017 after, as […]

A PR Stunt Over Accountability. Review of Political Prosecution Cases in Poland

A PR Stunt Over Accountability. Review of Political Prosecution Cases in Poland

In the previous Law and Justice (PiS) administration, the Public Prosecutor’s Office (PPO) had been significantly politically compromised. PPO, under the Prosecutor General Zbigniew Ziobro, was the institution which caused the most direct harm to Polish citizens in 2015-2023. It has systemically pursued (often only perceived) political and business opponents, quashed dissent, and silenced critical […]

Kamiński and Wąsik under scrutiny as secret ABW opinions on Lyudmyla Kozlovska emerge

Kamiński and Wąsik under scrutiny as secret ABW opinions on Lyudmyla Kozlovska emerge

The Warsaw prosecutor’s office will assess whether Mariusz Kamiński and Maciej Wąsik exceeded their authority in the case of Lyudmyla Kozlovska, President of the Open Dialogue Foundation. What exactly is the investigation about? Prosecutor’s investigation: The Regional Prosecutor’s Office in Warsaw has launched an investigation into abuse of power by, among others, officers of the […]

Transnational Repression against Barlyk Mendygaziyev

Transnational Repression against Barlyk Mendygaziyev

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 […]

Audit of Zbigniew Ziobro’s political cases: Open Dialogue Foundation raises alarm

Audit of Zbigniew Ziobro’s political cases: Open Dialogue Foundation raises alarm

Following the change of government in October 2023, the new administration announced that it would restore the independence of the Public Prosecutor’s Office. A key step in this direction was to be an audit of politically motivated criminal cases initiated between 2015 and 2023. However, the Open Dialogue Foundation warns that the course and results […]

Polish Public Prosecutor’s Office: Restoring Independence and Reviewing Politicised Criminal Cases in Poland

Polish Public Prosecutor’s Office: Restoring Independence and Reviewing Politicised Criminal Cases in Poland

This study was prepared as a submission to the European Commission’s 2025 Rule of Law Report 1. Introduction Since assuming power in October 2023, Poland’s new, Civic Coalition-led government has initiated efforts to restore the independence of the Public Prosecutor’s Office, which had been compromised under the previous Law and Justice (PiS) administration and Prosecutor […]

The prosecution service discontinued its investigation against Bartosz Kramek after 7 years. The case dossier comprises over 10,000 pages

The prosecution service discontinued its investigation against Bartosz Kramek after 7 years. The case dossier comprises over 10,000 pages

“In the process of prosecuting Bartosz Kramek for his call for civil disobedience against the Law and Justice’s authorities, the prosecution service supervised by Mr Ziobro has gone so far as to commission a professional semiotic study. However, nowhere in the entire text is there any suggestion of overthrowing the government,” the author said clearly. […]

Investigation into the case of Bartosz Kramek. The Prosecutor’s Office makes key decision

Investigation into the case of Bartosz Kramek. The Prosecutor’s Office makes key decision

“By a decision dated 6 December 2024, the Regional Prosecutor’s Office in Lublin discontinued the investigation against Bartosz Kramek,” reads the statement of the Prosecutor’s Office. In 2017, Bartosz Kramek published the text “Let the State Come to a Stop: Let’s Shut Down the Government”, which caused him many legal problems. Subsequently, he was detained […]

Years of Ziarkiewicz-led lawfare against Kramek. ‘No grounds for prosecution’

Years of Ziarkiewicz-led lawfare against Kramek. ‘No grounds for prosecution’

The Regional Prosecutor’s Office in Lublin discontinued the investigation against the founder of the Open Dialogue Foundation engaged in supporting defenders of democracy. For five years, Bartosz Kramek was prosecuted by a PiS prosecutor, Ziobro’s nominee, Jerzy Ziarkiewicz. Jerzy Ziarkiewicz is the discredited head of the Lublin Regional Prosecutor’s Office, who for years blocked investigations […]

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