Transnational financial repression: US Congress demands to protect investors and philanthropists
Documented cases of transnational financial repression by the Kazakhstani government against Barlyk Mendygaziyev, a US resident and taxpayer, investor, and founder of the Freedom Kazakhstan Foundation, have exposed the weaponisation of international financial and legal mechanisms by dictators & autocrats.
On August 8, 2025, a letter signed by James P. McGovern, co-chair of the Tom Lantos U.S. Congressional Human Rights Commission, was sent to the U.S. Attorney General, the Secretary of State, and the Director of the FBI, calling for the development of measures to protect American investors and philanthropists, as well as measures to hold transnational financial repression personally accountable.
Congressman McGovern noted:
— the fabrication of charges against Mendygaziev after he denied bribes,
— the freezing of accounts and confiscation of investments, and
— the repression of his family members in Kazakhstan and the US after he provided charitable assistance to political prisoners and activists in Kazakhstan.
The urgency of developing legislative measures to prevent such abuses was justified by Lyudmyla Kozlovska, president of the Open Dialogue Foundation, during hearings at the Tom Lantos U.S. Congressional Human Rights Commission in June 2025. The full text of the letter is available in the attached file.
#HumanRights #TransnationalFinancialRepression #Mendygaziyev #Kazakhstan #USCongress
