Newsletter Sep 19, 2024 HRF’s Weekly Financial Freedom Report #41 This week, authoritarian regimes continued to use financial repression tactics to target dissidents and opposition movements. In Nicaragua, the National Assembly unanimously approved a reform allowing the regime to prosecute and seize the assets of exiled citizens.
Newsletter Sep 12, 2024 HRF’s Weekly Financial Freedom Report #40 This week, Bitcoin took center stage in Venezuela’s struggle for financial freedom. After the Maduro regime brazenly stole the country’s presidential election, opposition leader Maria Corina Machado spoke in an exclusive interview with the Human Rights Foundation (HRF), where she called Bitcoin a “lifeline” and a “vital means for resistance” for Venezuelans suffering under repression and hyperinflation.
Newsletter Sep 5, 2024 HRF’s Weekly Financial Freedom Report #39 In Syria, Bashar al-Assad’s economic policies continue to devastate the lives of millions while he enforces a tight grip on power. Manipulated currency exchange rates and strict monetary controls have deepened poverty and wreaked havoc on the Syrian lira’s value, offering a sobering view into the impact of authoritarian rule on the financial freedom of everyday citizens.
Press Release Sep 5, 2024 HRF interviews Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado on financial repression and freedom On Thursday, Bitcoin Magazine published a video of the Human Rights Foundation’s (HRF) chief strategy officer, Alex Gladstein, interviewing María Corina Machado, leader of Venezuela’s democratic opposition, about the destruction the Chavismo have caused to Venezuela’s monetary system and how many Venezuelans use Bitcoin to escape or find their financial freedom.
Newsletter Aug 22, 2024 HRF’s Weekly Financial Freedom Report #37 In Russia, the crackdown on charitable donations continues. Ksenia Karelina, a dual Russian-American citizen, was sentenced to 12 years in prison for donating $51 to a Ukrainian charity. Her case highlights the severe risks individuals face when supporting Russian opposition and reminds us of the critical need for financial privacy, especially for the billions of people who live under tyrannical regimes.
Blog Post Aug 19, 2024 The Role of Freedom Tech in Venezuela Venezuela grapples with fraudulent presidential elections, economic and financial collapse, widespread repression, and severe human rights abuses under dictator Nicolás Maduro, its brave activists continue searching for uncensorable solutions to combat systemic repression.
Newsletter Aug 15, 2024 HRF’s Weekly Financial Freedom Report #36 As Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro tightens his grip on power, he has restricted access to Binance, the world’s largest Bitcoin and cryptocurrency exchange. For many Venezuelans, Binance was a helpful lifeline offering peer-to-peer access to USD, Bitcoin, and stablecoins. Now, many are left increasingly trapped with the crumbling bolívar.
Newsletter Aug 8, 2024 HRF’s Weekly Financial Freedom Report #35 In Nigeria, widespread discontent with President Bola Tinubu’s financially repressive policies sparked nationwide protests. Security forces descended on citizens peacefully protesting against the devaluation of the naira and soaring inflation, which has reached a 30-year high in a country where 40% of the population already suffers under extreme poverty.
Newsletter Aug 1, 2024 HRF’s Weekly Financial Freedom Report #34 In Venezuela — recently home to one of the most catastrophic episodes of hyperinflation in history — dictator Nicolás Maduro fraudulently claimed victory in the country’s presidential election.
Newsletter Jul 25, 2024 HRF’s Weekly Financial Freedom Report #33 Across the world this week, authoritarian regimes predictably continue leveraging centralized technologies and top-down policies to tighten their grip on power. In Russia, Vladimir Putin pushes for harsh regulations on Bitcoin mining, citing fears of potential power outages.
Newsletter Jul 19, 2024 HRF’s Weekly Financial Freedom Report #32 This week, authoritarian regimes intensified financial controls in response to global cost of living pressures. In El Salvador, President Nayib Bukele initiated investigations into supermarkets allegedly hiking the prices of basic goods.
Newsletter Jul 11, 2024 HRF’s Weekly Financial Freedom Report #31 This week, financial policies impacting personal freedoms worldwide take center stage. In Russia, imprisoned opposition politician Vladimir Kara-Murza was transferred to a prison hospital, while officials issued an arrest warrant for Yulia Navalnaya, widow of Alexei Navalny and new chair of the Human Rights Foundation, for being part of an “extremist group.”
Newsletter Jul 8, 2024 HRF’s Weekly Financial Freedom Report #30 In Kenya, thousands of young citizens protested new taxes and a bailout for the government, which continues to erode democracy. Thirty-nine people were killed. Meanwhile, Bolivia experienced an alleged coup attempt led by the former commander general of the military, which some suspect was orchestrated by President Luis Arce to boost his dwindling popularity amid severe financial hardships.
Newsletter Jun 28, 2024 HRF’s Weekly Financial Freedom Report #29 This past week, Russian officials detained a Russian-American woman for the “crime” of donating $51.80 to a pro-Ukraine charity. Meanwhile, in China, the regime renamed over 600 villages significant to the Uyghur Muslim minority group in its efforts to further erase Uyghur cultural identity.
Newsletter Jun 20, 2024 HRF’s Weekly Financial Freedom Report #28 From June 3 to 5, human rights advocates gathered in Norway for the Oslo Freedom Forum to share their stories and reclaim individual rights from authoritarian regimes. During the Financial Freedom track, speakers highlighted how Bitcoin funds counter-terrorism and pro-democracy movements, provides banking services to repressed populations, and safeguards against the risks of central bank digital currencies.
Newsletter Jun 13, 2024 HRF’s Weekly Financial Freedom Report #27 From June 3 to 5, human rights advocates gathered in Norway for the Oslo Freedom Forum to share their stories and reclaim individual rights from authoritarian regimes. During the Financial Freedom track, speakers highlighted how Bitcoin funds counter-terrorism and pro-democracy movements, provides banking services to repressed populations, and safeguards against the risks of central bank digital currencies.
Newsletter May 30, 2024 HRF’s Weekly Financial Freedom Report #26 This week in Nicaragua, the number of political prisoners continues to grow. This time, the targets are journalists and teachers who are arbitrarily detained and often cut off from their banking accounts.
Newsletter May 23, 2024 HRF’s Weekly Financial Freedom Report #25 In Hong Kong, officials launched a pilot program for China’s central bank digital currency (CBDC), the e-CNY, marking its first expansion beyond the mainland. But even under duress, adoption remains limited as many Chinese workers are quickly converting their e-CNY for traditional currency, emphasizing their distrust of centralized digital currencies.
Newsletter May 16, 2024 HRF’s Weekly Financial Freedom Report #24 This week in Russia, Vladimir Putin’s “reelection” for a fifth term underscores a deepening authoritarian regime, characterized by stringent control over the financial system and harsh crackdowns on dissenters — a far cry from his pledge to “preserve and develop democracy” when first assuming office in 2000.
Newsletter May 9, 2024 HRF’s Weekly Financial Freedom Report #23 n Nigeria, the director general of the Securities and Exchange Commission announced the government’s intention to delist the naira from peer-to-peer platforms, a move that would effectively trap the public inside the failing currency.
