Human rights activists take aim at privileged crypto critics in letter to Congress

cointelegraph.com:

Human rights activists from 20 countries have submitted an open letter to the United States Congress in support of a “responsible crypto policy” and praising Bitcoin and stablecoins as essential tools aiding democracy and freedom for tens of millions.

The letter comes just a week after an anti-crypto open letter was sent to Congress purporting to be from the scientific community but whose lead signatures included well known crypto critics and authors from high income, democratic countries.

The group of 21 activists clapping back include those from countries which have either seen recent conflict or have otherwise unstable economies such as Ukraine, Russia, Iraq, Nigeria, Venezuela, Cuba and even North Korea. The letter states:

They add they are humanitarians and advocates of democracy who have used Bitcoin (BTC) to assist at risk people “when other options have failed” and wish to defend an open monetary system.

The group says they have also relied on Bitcoin and stablecoins in the “struggle for freedom and democracy”and that “tens of millions of others” living under authoritarian regimes or in volatile economies also use cryptocurrencies for the same reason.

The group provided multiple instances from around the world of how cryptocurrencies are assisting people, citing examples from Cuba, Afghanistan, Venezuela and Nigeria which have all seen high crypto adoption due to inflation or lack of proper financial infrastructure.

Cryptocurrencies further “helped keep the fight against authoritarianism afloat” the group added, providing an example of the role crypto played when financial systems broke down after the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Related: Crypto seen as the ‘future of money’ in inflation-mired