Together with #Kazakhstani journalists we discussed today what tools are available for the protection of human rights in third countries. Brief conclusions:

1. All authoritarian regimes like #Kazakhstan, #China, #Turkey suppress opposition through #FinancialRepression both domestically and transnationally, pretending to fight money laundering, terrorism/extremism, and threats to national security.

Open Dialogue Foundation provided and collected testimonials in our submission to #FATFNews on how #bitcoin has become the only tool to support the families of political prisoners in many authoritarian states: https://en.odfoundation.eu/a/723329,joint-submission-of-the-civil-society-coalition/

2. Not everyone lives in a world with this privilege of Senator John Hickenlooper saying that "We have safeguards for banks to protect everyone from crime and terrorism".

Banks have become (1) a weapon in the hands of dictators to target dissent transnationally and (2) a tool to circumvent sanctions and strengthen Russia's military capabilities for war against Ukraine: https://en.odfoundation.eu/a/684240,russias-decade-long-war-against-ukraine-how-to-accelerate-ukrainian-victory/

3. #FATF has ambitions to be an accountability tool, but without #transparency in the process of regulatory decision-making and co-operation with civil society, it's mechanisms will continue to be abused by dictators just like #RedNotice of #INTERPOL is abused.