Lyudmyla Kozlovska

2025 was an incredibly rewarding year, full of unexpected gifts and meaningful opportunities. With Open Dialogue Foundation, we continued supporting people where it mattered most.

We assisted in delivering hundreds of bionic hands to veterans in Ukraine, exposed in the U.S. Congress and European Parliament the weaponisation of behavioural data, Silver and Purple Notice of #INTERPOL and shed light on transnational financial repression by authoritarian regimes like #Kazakhstan, #Kyrgyzstan, and Russia reaching EU and U.S. citizens and entities.

We contributed proudly to stopping Chat Control regulation again and shared personal stories reminding why we should be especially active in protecting the privacy of payments, communications, and their developers in the digital era.

Encryption of communication and #Bitcoin are the two tools serving as fundamental guarantees for human rights in the digital era.

On a personal note, after years of separation and health challenges, long-pending divorce papers were finally granted this year, and I fully regained my health.

I'm deeply grateful for the people, lessons, and moments that shaped this year. Looking ahead to another wonderful one.

Photo credits: @mkphotons

🚨 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