I had the honour of sharing my personal experience with Melanion Capital & Jad #Comair on their podcast about how easy it is to weaponise the financial data of every resident and citizen of Western countries. The refusal to protect banking secrecy has led to a massive failure in the protection of human rights. #Bitcoin p2p transactions have become the only available tool for the financially repressed and excluded as a consequence of the abuse of AML/CFT laws. We live in a time when financial institutions have been given the right to police activities of citizens. If your rights are violated by the police, you have the possibility of defence/remedies. However, with financial institutions, there are no such mechanisms due to Financial Action Task Force (FATF) recommendations. I experienced this first hand when three authoritarian regimes abused my and Open Dialogue Foundation banking data getting it from #Belgium and #Poland. Banking records obtained by three regimes became a weapon against me and anyone who worked, received our support in different countries or championed our human rights work at the time. I able to continue my human rights work and hold accountable perpetrators of violations of my rights thanks to #freedomtech Bitcoin. Ironically, AML/CFT laws were created to fight criminals, oligarchs, dictators corrupting western countries. In reality - AML/CFT laws have become the most effective tool for #TransnationalRepression, breaking down all barriers to protect the right to #privacy of #correspondence, #transactions, #movements. If you think that this only applies to dictatorial or authoritarian countries, you are sorely mistaken. Want to learn more? Listen our 🎙️ Ep32 of ‘Bitcoin Equities Talks’ with Melanion Capital

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🎙️ Ep32 of "Bitcoin Equities Talks" is OUT! Join @LyudaKozlovska from @ODFoundation as she reveals how authoritarian regimes exploit #Bankin...

NORWAY IS GOING TO BAN BITCOIN MINING WITHOUT PUBLIC CONSULTATIONS - WE NEED TO ACT NOW Norway's Ministry of Digitalisation and Public Administration responded to @ODFoundation that it "has no plans to conduct a public consultation" on a ban on cryptocurrency mining. There is no doubt that the ban designed to target #Bitcoin mining. Unfortunately, that's a stance of the @Stortinget and the Norwegian government.

Stortinget

Innstilling fra energi- og miljøkomiteen om representantforslag om konsesjon på datasentre

Innst. 383 S (2023–2024)

🔴 Why we should protect our #freedomtech Bitcoin in #Norway NOW: (1) Norway is fully integrated in the European Single Market throught the European Economic Area (EEA) and Schengen Agreement. It means Norway can provide its legilsative approach as an input for new legislation for the EU/EEA both: - during the preparatory phase, when the @EU_Commission is developing proposals; - during work of expert groups and committees of the European Commission; - submitting proposals and comments to European Free Trade Association on upcoming legislation. (2) As a co-founder of the @OECD , Norway sets an example of regulation worldwide and provides its legislative recommedations for global standards. (3) Norway has historically been a place to meet, share experiences and educate human rights defenders and bitcoiners from around the world. Norwegian goverment will present its investigation a ban on cryptocurrency mining by the end of 2024. 🔴 What we should do together to prevent Bitcoin mining ban: (1) Repost this post and join our #BTC Coalition to educate local communities and media about social benefits of Bitcoin mining in Norway and worldwide; (2) Help us pool resources and best practices to convince Norwegian politicians and media to explore the social benefits of Bitcoin to prevent this repressive regulation; (3) If you are a Norwegian citizen: write a letter to your legislator and government asking for public consultation and providing arguments about the social benefits of Bitcoin mining for Norway. 🧡

So good to see you Anna and Ayelen in #Nashville2024 @The Bitcoin Conference & @HRF events 🧡

If you in #Nashville @The Bitcoin Conference , let’s meet up and join our discussion on how #Bitcoin  is helping freedom fighters 🧡 When: 26 July from 3:00 pm - 3:30 pm Place: Open Source Stage

🔴 What is the role of Chevron in #TransnationalRepression? Open Dialogue Foundation, together with human rights experts from the #ActivistNotExtremists coalition, prepared a report on the transnational political repression of Barlyk Mendygaziyev. The persecution of Barlyk, his relatives and associates has received extensive international attention as one example of: 🔻financial repression: abuse of anti-extremist/terrorist legislation; anti-money laundering laws (abuse of AML/CFT laws); 🔻taking family members and associates as political hostages, torturing them, including putting Kalyk #Mendygaziyev, Barlyk's brother, to death; and 🔻abuse of #INTERPOL 's international wanted list, etc. The Mendygaziyev case is mentioned in resolutions of the European Parliament and in the US State Department's annual reports on the human rights situation in #Kazakhstan for 2021-2023 as an example of selective justice and #TransnationalRepression by the Kazakhstani authorities. But these international documents do not pay attention on Chevron’s role as a key instrument of the above-mentioned political repression, initiated by Kazakhstani regime. 🔴 In our report we call on the US & #FATF: 🔻 Investigate and develop an effective mechanisms to counter and hold accountable Kazakhstan's regime for involvement of @Chevron in political persecution of Mendygaziyev, including financial repression for his eco-activist and human rights work; 🔻 Address and hold accountable #Kazakhstani regime for the abuse of AML/CFT laws to financialy exclude civil society, donors and opposition. 🔹 As a context: Mendygaziyev exposed numerous of environmental damages in Kazakhstan because of corruption for over decade. For instance, in March 2022 Nazar Solutions LLP, as one of the contractors of Tengizchevroil LLP, was illegally storing toxic oil waste in a massively populated area of Western Kazakhstan. That caused an explosion and fires of toxic oil waste in #Tengiz village. The largest shareholder of Tengizchevroil LLP is the US company Chevron, which holds a 50% stake.

When there are grey clouds over my head, or a coordinated attack by three dictators, or maybe I want to discuss the most ambitious international reform plan, I always go to my dearest friend @npub1q3u6...x79v 😜. Dictators nicknamed us witches for holding them accountable, and I can assure you that I saw with my eyes how with Bota's smile the grey clouds immediately dissipate. 😅🤪💪⚡️ sooo.... My dear Bota, happy birthday! I wish you be endless energizer as always you do! Get whatever you wish, and lots of health to you and your loved ones! 😘😘😘

It was a pleasure to chat with you, @Frank Corva ! Thanks to @Bitcoin Magazine and Bitcoin Policy Institute for helping us share our sad experience of financial exclusion, talk about the role of #bitcoin in resisting the misuse of banking data in the EU by authoritarian regimes. The untold, publicly unknown stories of the abuse of AML/CFT laws and the weaponisation of the financial system to crush dissent is what corrupts power. Transparency, inclusivity of the regulatory process and demanding personal accountability, developing mechanisms for liability and remedies is important more than ever. We believe it is an important moment to protect #freedomtech bitcoin jointly with bitcoin developers, miners and investors in front of western countries regulators as key elements for privacy, human rights, financial & civil liberties freedoms. Join our #BTC coalition and support our work! 🧡 View quoted note →

🔴 Yes, six years of our constant struggle were needed to lift the Polish entry ban imposed on me for political reasons as an alleged ‘threat to national security’. This was done by the then-ruling Law and Justice government on the basis of the classified opinion of the Internal Security Agency. Now, I’m finally allowed to return to #Poland. 🔴 Yes, Law and Justice party definitely knows how to abuse power and drive you into financial exclusion, even if you’ve obtained several favourable court rulings. During the last 6 years, the Polish Office for Foreigners and Internal Security Agency (#ABW) kept the ban despite 6 court verdicts (!) finding it unjustified and groundless. 🔴 Yes, FATF and EU Commission have regarded these kind of cases of financial exclusion and abuse of AML/CFT laws as ‘unintended consequences’. It is not true: it was an intended, coordinated abuse of AML/CFT laws by then-ruling Law and Justice government and other authoritarian regimes for transnational repression against ODF as a human rights organisation and myself as its leader. 🔴 Yes, when the Law and Justice party was in power, ABW prepared a classified dossier based on alleged 'evidence' that my stay as a foreigner on the Polish territory 'threatens the state security'. Today ABW - freed from the political influence of PiS - officially recognises that no such evidence exists against me. I believe it is crucial to declassify dossier based on alleged 'evidence' against me to show how regimes abuse security measures enjoying the lack of accountability/remedies in the AML/CFT laws. 🔴 Yes, after the final court judgement that required the Office for Foreigners in Poland to remove me from the blacklist, we’ve eventually received an official confirmation which states that I can now enter. According to lawyers and human rights activists dealing with foreigners, this was the very first time a court in Poland issued such an explicit order when the state security issue was at play. 🔴 No, the Law and Justice party (#PiS) is no longer in power. But this doesn’t mean that the problems of the Open Dialogue Foundation, our team and family members are over. Already 7-year long politically motivated tax audits aimed at ODF and our company ruined our business, and the criminal case against Bartosz Kramek as well as many other victims of political repression are ongoing. 🔴Yes, even with the loss of power, the system built by Law and Justice Ministers Mariusz Kaminski and Maciej Wasik continues to live, poisoning the lives of the opressed for the last 7 years and requires complete dismantling. At the same time, those responsible have not yet been held accountable for attempting to destroy i.a. our foundation in retaliation for the defence of the #RuleOfLaw in Poland - an abuse previously unheard of in the EU. That is why we still need your support. 🧡

Why DMs don’t work on #nostr? Almost one week I can’t read my messages, and instead I can see just an empty screen… same problem at Damus and Primal. Any idea? Please write your messages to my email: lyudmylakozlovska@odfoundation.eu

🚨 WHAT ENABLES DICTATORS TO KILL? ⠀ On 18 June 2024 in #Kyiv, the Tokayev-Nazarbayev regime organised the assassination of Aydos #Sadykov, a Kazakhstani opposition journalist and political refugee in #Ukraine. The shooter executed the journalist's head in front of his wife as they drove up to the courtyard of their flat during daylight hours. ⠀ Sadykov's wife immediately named the one who ordered the political murder - the president of Kazakhstan Tokayev. Sadykova noted that the family had received regular threats on their lives for criticising Tokayev. On the eve of the assassination, Sadykov released a video statement where he called Tokayev a "puppet of #Putin." What is #Tokayev doing? The very next day, fearing international accountability, Tokayev issued a statement "that the priority in the country is the rule of law". ⠀ It is crucial to remind why Tokayev should not be believed. Politics is a world of perceptions. Tokayev understands this well and knows in practice that #propaganda has already helped him escape accountability: ⠀ - for the torture, mass shootings and arbitrary arrests of more than 10,000 peaceful protesters in January 2022; ⠀ - for helping #Russia circumvent international sanctions for 2.5 years; ⠀ - for weaponising the #banking system, anti-money laundering and anti-terrorism laws as a tool to financially exclude critics of the regime domestically and #transnationally; ⠀ - for political persecution through INTERPOL, extraditions, and influencing justice and asylum authorities in Western countries, including the attempted kidnapping of Bota Jardemalie from #Belgium, the hunt by killers for Mukhtar #Ablyazov in #France, and other cases of transnational persecution of opposition and human rights defenders. It is important to remind that Tokayev's regime gained access to Interpol's databases in December 2023 through a "silver notification". But regime of Tokayev is using not to combat with criminals, but to have just another tool to dispatch killers to an address anywhere in the world with jewellery precision against critics. ⠀ This arbitrariness should be halted. I share this post on #Nostr because the most probably on other social media platforms it will be removed following multiple attacks and demands of Kazakhstani ministry of justice. But we need to have public support. Only public pressure can help us to get Tokayev's international accountability.