The Human Rights Foundation (HRF) launched the Bitcoin Humanitarian Alliance on 10 April and formed a coalition of activists, humanitarian organizations and pro-democracy movements that Bitcoin (BTC) use to support civil liberties and to provide assistance in financial repressive environments.
The initiative brings front line groups together that are active in jurisdictions where financial systems are routinely armed to block abnormal opinions, block critics, freeze donations and hinder humanitarian operations.
The Alliance wants to offer these organizations a shared platform to exchange knowledge about the use of Bitcoin as a censorship -resistant financial tool.
It also tries to deepen cooperation between the humanitarian sector and Bitcoin developers to build tools that tackle privacy, access and chances of survival under authoritarian regimes.
Tools for help and resistance
The HRF said That many authoritarian governments use the traditional bank infrastructure to limit financial access for opposition movements and auxiliary networks.
Regions such as Nigeria, Venezuela, Russia and China have seen activists from the financial system excluded by blocked accounts, suspended transfers and targeted surveillance. The HRF said Bitcoin is an alternative mechanism for transferring value, the preservation of privacy and securing operational continuity in these environments.
The Bitcoin Humanitarian Alliance tries to formalize and expand the use of Bitcoin in this context by building a global network of practitioners. The 13 founders of the Alliance are activists from all over the world, from Latin -America to Asia.
In addition, Alliance members already use Bitcoin to pick up indifferent donations, pay local staff safely and move cross-border help without being dependent on centralized intermediaries. Others turn to Bitcoin to save value in hyperinflating economies or jurisdictions with strict capital controls.
In the coming years, the Alliance is planning to organize workshops, guest conferences and to develop educational material for non -profit organizations that are interested in recording Bitcoin in their activities.
It is also planning to document the role of Bitcoin in offering financial resilience for dissidents and recipients of assistance, making the findings available for the media and policy organizations.
HRF’s continuous BTC involvement
The HRF emphasized the need for a clear distinction between Bitcoin and broader “crypto” ecosystems, and noted that the decentralized architecture of BTC and the fixed monetary policy offer structural benefits for activists looking for financial neutrality.
The foundation warned that other digital assets, which can rely on centralized entities or have fluctuating governance models, can re -introduce the risks that dissidents want to avoid.
The Bitcoin Humanitarian Alliance is expanding HRF’s involvement in Bitcoin, which was scaled in 2020 with the establishment of the Bitcoin Development Fund.
Since its foundation, the fund has spent more than $ 5.5 million on 174 subsidies to support Open-Source Bitcoin projects, including privacy tools, detention solutions and educational means.
HRF has used the fund to support initiatives such as wallet development, lightning infrastructure and training programs for civil society organizations that operate under hostile regimes.
