Lyudmyla Kozlovska

Safe nowhere.

Authoritarian regimes learned how to abuse FATF-based #AML rules, cybersecurity law, MLATs and #INTERPOL to freeze your accounts, harvest your data and end your relationships with banks and donors, on American and European soil.

It was done to me: serving #Kazakh police officers, posing as private victims, filed a complaint in a Belgian court to obtain my passport records, travel data, including Schengen crossings, hotel bills in Miami and Washington, bank movements and private emails.

We describe how #Bitcoin privacy payments and other encrypted tools play crucial role as remedies against transnational financial repression.

Endlessly grateful to Hoover Institution for lighting this up. Read our article with

👇🏻

https://www.thefreedomfrequency.org/p/the-rise-of-transnational-financial

Digital Rights Under Siege: Join BTCHEL Talks!

Join me to discuss why #Bitcoin P2P privacy payment tools, privacy of communication, and travel data protection matter more than ever at BTCHEL conference in #Helsinki (August 14-16)!

Bring anyone who's tired of feeling like their every move is being tracked and wants to do something about it!

Do it before it is too late - we're living through an unprecedented assault on digital privacy:

1. The EU's Anti-Money Laundering Authority (AMLA) is advancing a "zero tolerance for anonymity in crypto" policy, while...
2. Denmark's EU Presidency is fast-tracking #ChatControl regulation for adoption on October 14, 2025.

This isn't just regulatory overreach—it's the architecture of mass surveillance disguised as child protection and combating financial crimes/terrorism.

The consequences are already visible and show how financial surveillance creates real physical and national security dangers:

• kidnapping incidents in #France targeting crypto-assets holders,
• weaponisation of AML/CFT and cybersecurity laws for transnational financial repression in the #EU by authoritarian regimes and their proxies.

When your payment history, communication patterns, and travel data are exposed, you become a target.

For those who don't know - proposed ChatControl means:

• Automatic scanning of ALL private messages, emails, and chats
• Mandatory age verification ending anonymous communication
• Cloud storage monitoring, including your private photos
• App store censorship and digital exclusion of minors

Join me at BTCHEL (August 14-16) to examine new evidence of how Russia's allies are weaponizing cybersecurity and #AML regulations against the EU, #US, and #Western democratic institutions.

In a world where digital and physical converge, privacy of payments, communication, and travel isn't just convenience—it's survival. It protects your life, property, and cultural identity from those who would exploit your data.

See you! 🧡

🚨 YOUR VOICE NEEDED: CONGRESS SEEKS TESTIMONIES

The US Congress is investigating how authoritarian regimes weaponize financial regulations against American donors supporting democracy. WE NEED YOUR INPUT.

📢 WHY YOUR TESTIMONY MATTERS Chairman #McGovern asked me directly: "Your testimony calls for the Treasury Department to issue a financial crimes enforcement network advisory highlighting foreign governments' misuse of anti-money laundering/anti-terrorism financing tools to target U.S. entities and residents in transnational repression. Has the Treasury Department made any steps in this regard? If not, what do you think is a productive pressure point?"

This question shows Congress recognizes that the case of American philanthropist Barlyk #Mendygaziyev demonstrates a terrifying trend:

🔻His brother Bekizhan imprisoned in #Kazakhstan as RETALIATION for Barlyk's pro-democracy advocacy 🔻US banks terminated their financial services based on Kazakhstan's false claims and accusations 🔻Kazakhstan exploited AML/CFT laws to silence American donors

🎯 THE BIGGER PICTURE When authoritarian regimes can: 🔻Turn US financial institutions against democracy donors 🔻Weaponize "anti-extremism", AML, cybersecurity laws and international cooperation mechanisms against civil society and donors transnationally and domestically 🔻Take family members hostage to silence advocacy

Every donor, activist, and NGO becomes vulnerable transnationally

💪 WHY DEFENDING DONORS IS CRITICAL

🔻Democracy movements NEED financial support 🔻Majority of the prodemocracy donors are U.S. philanthropists. They are at risk of being criminalized for supporting human rights if no remedies established 🔻Kazakhstan's playbook is being copied by other autocrats 🔻US financial system is being turned against democracy itself

📝 WHAT CONGRESS NEEDS FROM YOU Submit testimonies/recommendations on:

🔻How financial debanking affects pro-democracy work in your country 🔻Your experiences with weaponized AML compliance 🔻Policy recommendations to protect legitimate donors 🔻Cases of authoritarian abuse of US financial systems or U.S. financial intelligence (I will explain more in the next post)

🔗 WE HELP YOU TO SUBMIT Information to the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission:

🔻Send your story to me 🔻Reference: [mention your country] Transnational Financial Repression 🔻Deadline: end of July 2025

When autocrats can silence American donors, democracy loses its lifeline. Your voice can help Congress close these dangerous loopholes.

#DefendDonors #TransnationalRepression #TransnationalFinancialRepression #Congress #Democracy #HumanRights #Philanthropy #CivilSociety #TomLantos #USCongress #AML #CFT

🚨 €1M Retaliation for Exposing Russia Sanctions Evasion

#Kyrgyz #Bakai bank filed a SLAPP lawsuit against Open Dialogue Foundation in #Belgium, demanding removal of our two reports & €1M damages - a common intimidation tactic used in Kyrgyzstan to silence critics.

🔴 Key facts on Bakai bank #SLAPP case against ODF in Belgium: • Bank waited 18 months to file • No evidence of actual damage provided • €1M claims typical in Kyrgyz censorship cases • To date, a lot of information can be found with offers of intermediaries to open accounts in Bakai bank to bypass sanctions • ODF's reports remain public, addressing sanctions circumvention

While ODF advocates for financial inclusion and privacy, we have revealed in 8 reports how authoritarian regimes abuse AML/CFT laws to:

• violate financial & human rights domestically,
• conduct transnational repression in Western countries and
• evade sanctions.

🔎The bigger picture: While Russia claims to use #Bitcoin for foreign trade, our investigation shows preference for less traceable traditional banking systems in Central Asia.

🔴 Why? Russia's action, not declarations, should be followed: • Bitcoin = permanent public record • Regional banks of Central Asia = established infrastructure + opacity of completely unaccountable rulers • Traditional banking of third countries enables sanctions evasion more effectively

🔴 The real problem: Current #AML regime relies on 'trust' with authoritarian and dictatorial states. This enables: • Sanctions circumvention through banks controlled by them and their allies • Abuse of Western legal systems to silence critics

🔴 AML/CFT laws impact on legitimate actors: • Excessive compliance costs for Western businesses • Financial barriers for NGOs & humanitarian aid • Continued global financial exclusion and repressions

🔴 Bakai's bank SLAPP case against ODF in Belgium proves: Banks will go transnational to silence those exposing sanction evasion schemes. Time to reform the AML/CFT system that enables both censorship and sanctions circumvention.

🟢 Help us to stop such abuses and get funding for legal defence against SLAPP of Bakai Bank, support ODF's human rights work!