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Debug info: { "hasInitialEvent": true, "initialEventType": "$o", "initialEventKeys": [ "events", "onceEvents", "_symbolKeys", "maxListeners", "ndk", "created_at", "content", "tags", "kind", "id", "sig", "pubkey", "signatureVerified", "_author", "relay", "publishStatus", "publishError", "serialize", "getEventHash", "validate", "verifySignature", "isReplaceable", "isEphemeral", "isDvm", "isParamReplaceable", "encode", "encrypt", "decrypt", "fetchTaggedEvent", "fetchRootEvent", "fetchReplyEvent", "repost" ], "eventIdType": "undefined", "eventIdValue": "", "eventKind": 30023, "eventContent": "Good morning, readers!\n\nToday, HRF takes part in the launch of the [Bitcoin Humanitarian Alliance](https://bitcoinhumanalliance.org/) in London, where a dozen human rights and aid groups will convene with policymakers, media, finance professionals, and technologists at the Frontline Club to explain how they are using Bitcoin in their work in the field.\n\nElsewhere, we bring news from Turkey, where large, pro-democracy protests erupted over President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s increasing political repression and economic fallout. The Turkish regime has detained more than 2,000 protesters (and counting) as youth appear in droves demanding democracy, accountability, and economic reform.\n\nIn Eastern Africa, Tanzania’s government extended immense restrictions on foreign currency, effectively barring its use in day-to-day payments outside a few circumstances. In a poverty-stricken country where fuel prices have moved forcibly upward for two consecutive months, access to and usage of alternative currencies can be a financial lifeline.\n\nIn Bitcoin news, we spotlight Misty Breez, a new open-source Bitcoin wallet built by Lightning Network infrastructure company Breez. The wallet is a Lightning and Liquid Network hybrid wallet. It gives users control over their funds and abstracts away any complexities of payment channel management, but users must trust the Liquid Federation. In terms of functionality, Misty Breez supports a wide variety of address types, offering users flexibility across the fees, privacy, and censorship resistance of their payments. It may prove a helpful tool for dissidents and activists standing against tyranny.\n\nWe end with the latest edition of the HRF x Pubkey Freedom Tech Series, where HRF’s Ayelen Osorio joins Zimbabwean pastor-turned-activist Evan Mawarire, who recounts his inspiring journey of a peaceful uprising against Robert Mugabe’s dictatorship and the hyperinflation and repression he unleashed on the population. We also feature the live streams of the 2025 MIT Bitcoin Expo in collaboration with HRF. These videos highlight the speakers, panels, and activities led by HRF to raise awareness about financial repression and the tools being built to resist it.\n\n**Now, let’s jump right in!**\n\n### [**SUBSCRIBE HERE**](https://mailchi.mp/hrf.org/financial-freedom-newsletter?mc_cid=bf652c0a5a)\n\n## **GLOBAL NEWS**\n\n#### **Turkey | Government Detains Thousands of Pro-Democracy Protesters**\n\nThe largest [protests](https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/young-turks-drive-protests-against-erdogan-new-generation-seeks-change-2025-04-01/) in over a decade erupted in Istanbul, Turkey, after President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan detained political opposition figure and Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu. Turks of [all walks of life](https://apnews.com/article/turkey-crackdown-opposition-protest-dissent-imamoglu-politics-6f641b9b90c8b9500d411578443d2768) find themselves united by common outrage at the regime’s ongoing political repression and tumultuous economic conditions. With inflation soaring above [39%](https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/turkey-denounces-opposition-calls-day-no-shopping-2025-04-02/) and widespread unemployment among the nation’s youth, it’s no surprise Turks are [flooding](https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/young-turks-drive-protests-against-erdogan-new-generation-seeks-change-2025-04-01/) the streets and demanding change. In response to these demonstrations, law enforcement has since detained more than [2,000](https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/young-turks-drive-protests-against-erdogan-new-generation-seeks-change-2025-04-01/) demonstrators, and police blockades have met student protesters with water cannon trucks to suppress their dissent. Many young Turks feel their future is slipping away in a country where saving is futile, the currency is collapsing, and speaking out comes at a high personal cost. “This feels like our last chance,” one young protester [said](https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/young-turks-drive-protests-against-erdogan-new-generation-seeks-change-2025-04-01/), adding, “If we don’t succeed, many of us will have to leave Turkey.”\n\n#### **Tanzania | Regime Enacts Restrictions on Foreign Currency**\n\nTanzania’s regime is [banning](https://www.africanlawbusiness.com/news/tanzania-extends-foreign-currency-restrictions/) the use of foreign currency outside of a few circumstances (such as duty-free retailers and government membership fees). This means quoting prices in, accepting, or facilitating payments with foreign currency is now illegal, alongside declining to accept the official Tanzanian shilling (TZS). Losing the ability to transact with more stable currencies removes individuals’ ability to shield themselves from inflation and subjects them to local currency volatility. The mandate comes in addition to the Energy and Water Utilities Regulatory Authority [raising](https://www.thecitizen.co.tz/tanzania/business/fuel-prices-in-tanzania-rise-for-second-consecutive-month-4951986) the cost of fuel for a second consecutive month. Locals worry this could further increase the cost of living as the fuel price hike ripples through the economy. These policies mirror the tactics of authoritarians using financial control to limit dissent and restrict individual financial freedom.\n\n#### **China | Incorporates e-CNY CBDC into Financial Sector Guidelines**\n\nChina is [incorporating](https://www.observers.com/banking-and-cbdc-roundup-19-03-2025/) the[ e-CNY](https://cbdctracker.hrf.org/currency/china) central bank digital currency (CBDC) into financial sector guidelines for the first time, signaling a strengthening commitment to fully roll out its CBDC. The e-CNY’s usage is reportedly expanding among Chinese citizens, with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) claiming [800 million](https://www.observers.com/banking-and-cbdc-roundup-19-03-2025/) wallets and over [10.2 trillion](https://www.observers.com/banking-and-cbdc-roundup-19-03-2025/) CNY in transaction volume — though these numbers are both dubiously high and difficult to independently verify. As usage grows, so do concerns over financial and individual liberties. The CCP already uses the financial system to monitor and suppress dissent. For Uyghurs, a Muslim minority in the Uyghur Region grappling with ongoing cultural genocide, mass surveillance, and forced labor from the CCP, the e-CNY would allow the regime to restrict their financial autonomy and freedom completely. As it begins to roll out, it’s important to become aware of the dangers of the e-CNY [here](https://cbdctracker.hrf.org/currency/china).\n\n#### **Burkina Faso | Arrests Three Journalists in Press Crackdown**\n\nBurkina Faso’s military junta [arrested](https://www.hrw.org/news/2025/03/27/burkina-faso-journalists-arrested-media-clampdown) three journalists for reporting on regime-imposed press restrictions. Since seizing power in 2022, the military junta, under the leadership of Ibrahim Traoré, has targeted independent media by detaining reporters, forcing critics into exile, [abusing](https://www.hrw.org/news/2023/11/08/burkina-faso-emergency-law-targets-dissidents) emergency laws to suppress dissent, and using financial repression to disrupt independent funding. Journalists disappear under the guise of forced conscription, international coverage of military abuses is blocked, and outlets that report on crimes against humanity are eradicated. With press freedom in ashes, Burkinabés face an information blackout where state propaganda proliferates. In these contexts, open and uncensorable protocols like nostr can serve as a digital town square where information, value, and assembly flow undisturbed by the reach of oppressive regimes.\n\n#### **Tunisia | Saied Sacks Prime Minister as Economy Crumbles**\n\nTunisian President Kais Saied [dismissed](https://www.gdnonline.com/Details/1348335/Tunisian-president-sacks-prime-minister-amid-economic-and-migration-crisis) Prime Minister Kamel Maddouri less than a year into his term and replaced him with Sara Zaafarani, Tunisia’s third prime minister in under two years. As Saied reshuffles his cabinet to best suit his interests and goals, Tunisia’s economy has reached a standstill. Growth is running below [1.5%](https://www.gdnonline.com/Details/1348335/Tunisian-president-sacks-prime-minister-amid-economic-and-migration-crisis), the cost of living continues to climb, and [shortages](https://www.gdnonline.com/Details/1348335/Tunisian-president-sacks-prime-minister-amid-economic-and-migration-crisis) of staple goods like rice, sugar, and coffee burden the everyday lives of Tunisians. After [staging a coup](https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/tunisian-police-arrest-candidate-presidential-election-2024-07-04/), dissolving the government, and ruling by decree, Saied’s consolidation of power has come inch by inch with the erosion of democracy and financial stability.\n\n## BITCOIN AND FREEDOM TECH NEWS\n\n#### **Breez | Releases New Open-Source Bitcoin Wallet**\n\nBreez, a company helping build out the Bitcoin Lightning economy, [released](https://bitcoinmagazine.com/news/breez-announces-launch-of-new-wallet-misty-breez) a new open-source Bitcoin wallet called “[Misty Breez](https://github.com/breez/misty-breez).” It is a hybrid [Lightning](https://lightning.network/) and [Liquid](https://liquid.net/) Network wallet built using the [Nodeless Breez SDK](https://sdk-doc-liquid.breez.technology/). The wallet offers fast and private transactions without the complexities of payment channel management. The tradeoff? Trusting the Liquid Federation with custody of your Bitcoin. Still, Misty Breez supports many Bitcoin and Lightning features, including on-chain payments, Lightning addresses, BOLT 12 invoices, and offline receiving. So, while the wallet is a trust-minimized solution rather than fully custodial, users gain a wide range of use cases and features unique to this wallet. This could make Misty Breez useful for people facing financial surveillance, internet outages, or authoritarian-imposed financial restrictions. Learn more about the wallet [here](https://bitcoinmagazine.com/news/breez-announces-launch-of-new-wallet-misty-breez).\n\n#### **OpenCash | Bounty for Open Source Cashu x BTCPay Server Plugin**\n\n[The OpenCash Association](https://opencash.dev/) is offering a two million satoshi [bounty](https://opencash.dev/projects) for an open-source plugin allowing merchants to accept [Cashu](http://cashu.me) payments through [BTCPay Server](https://btcpayserver.org/). Cashu is a Bitcoin-based ecash protocol designed to offer fast, low-cost, and very private transactions. For activists and dissidents, ecash enables payments without compromising financial privacy, but they must trust the mints (entities managing the system) to custody their funds. OpenCash specified that the Cashu plugin must integrate cleanly with BTCPay Server and include an input field for ecash redemption or a scannable Cashu payment request. If claimed, this bounty and subsequent integration will help advance Bitcoin’s medium of exchange capabilities and make private payments more accessible by integrating with self-hosted, independent Bitcoin payment infrastructure. Learn more about the bounty [here](https://opencash.dev/projects).\n\n#### **Machankura | Adds Support for Offline Bitcoin Transactions in Uganda**\n\n[Machankura](https://8333.mobi/), a custodial Bitcoin Lightning wallet that helps Africans access Bitcoin without the Internet, [announced](https://x.com/Machankura8333/status/1907151897498165678) they expanded service to Uganda, enabling Ugandans to use Bitcoin without an Internet connection. To do so, Machankura leverages the Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD) protocol for sending text messages. To use the service, users simply dial a designated number on a feature phone (or a smartphone without data) and can access the Bitcoin network in countries like Nigeria, Malawi, Zambia, and now Uganda. Machankura helps democratize Bitcoin access, expands censorship-resistant money across Africa, and offers a practical solution to financial inclusion. If you’re in Uganda or another supported country, try it [here](https://8333.mobi/).\n\n#### **Zeus Wallet | Plans to Introduce Cashu Support**\n\nZeus, a leading self-custodial mobile Lightning wallet, [shared](https://x.com/ZeusLN/status/1907084936856662061) plans for a future Cashu integration. Cashu is an ecash protocol for Bitcoin. It enables practical everyday payments on Bitcoin that are private by design (but users must trust mints to manage their funds). By adding ecash support, Zeus can expand the accessibility of private Bitcoin payments and provide its users with greater flexibility over their financial activity. As part of its upcoming release, the wallet also [introduces](https://x.com/ZeusLN/status/1909251618387722684) two new types of addresses: Zaplocker addresses for Lightning self-custody on mobile and Nostr Wallet Connect (NWC) addresses for remote node runners. While a little more technical, these integrations will improve individuals' ability to transact without exposing their financial history, reducing surveillance risks, especially for those living under authoritarian regimes or in jurisdictions with strict financial controls.\n\n#### **Bitcoin Thailand Festival | Half-Marathon to Challenge Financial Repression**\n\nThe Thai city of Chiang Mai will host the nation’s inaugural [Bitcoin Half Marathon](https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/pr/2993521/bitcoin-marathon-festival-2025-gets-official-green-light-) and [Bitcoin Thailand Festiva](https://www.bitcoinmarathon.org/)l from Nov. 1-2, 2025, under the theme “Run For Freedom.” The marathon’s theme contrasts Thailand’s increasing financial repression and long history of erasing dissent. Even still, the festival’s mission to advance financial freedom and financial literacy with participation from the local Bitcoin community comes at a pressing time. The Thai government is increasingly restricting financial freedoms through [digital cash](https://archive.ph/GTTBB) handouts, which, for all intents and purposes, function as a central bank digital currency that imposes spending restrictions and expiration dates on money. In these environments, Bitcoin education and awareness are more urgent than ever.\n\n#### **Btrust Builders | Announces Builders Pathways**\n\n[Btrust Builders](https://www.btrust.tech/) [introduced](https://blog.btrust.tech/introducing-the-btrust-builders-pathways/?ref=nobsbitcoin.com) Btrust Builders Pathways, a new program designed to equip African developers with the skills and experience needed to contribute to Bitcoin open-source software. The initiative offers five learning tracks, from beginner-friendly Bitcoin fundamentals to advanced Rust programming and Bitcoin Core development. Participants will gain hands-on experience, mentorship, and access to potential funding via Btrust Developer Grants. With this launch, Btrust Builders continues its mission to grow Africa’s Bitcoin development talent and strengthen the software’s ecosystem in a region where many suffer under dozens of authoritarian governments.\n\n## RECOMMENDED CONTENT\n\n#### **How Bitcoin Fights Corruption & Injustice with Evan Mawarire**\n\nIn the latest [edition](https://www.youtube.com/live/6kZ8ZzMVZ7M?si=qMMERA2LfJXtU1cW) of the HRF x Pubkey Freedom Tech Series, HRF’s Content & Research lead [Ayelen Osorio](https://x.com/Ayelen_Osorio) sits down with Zimbabwean pastor-turned-activist [Evan Mawarire](https://x.com/PastorEvanLive) to explore how Bitcoin can serve as a tool for fighting inflation, corruption, and injustice. Together, they unpack Mawarire’s personal journey of leading a peaceful uprising against the tyranny of Robert Mugabe and the hyperinflation he unleashed on his undeserving population. Mawarire details how Zimbabwe’s economic collapse became an orchestrated strategy to control and silence Zimbabweans. He further explains how the peaceful movement galvanized a generation, why financial repression is a central pillar of authoritarianism, and how Bitcoin offers ordinary citizens a way to resist and rebuild. Catch the full conversation [here](https://www.youtube.com/live/6kZ8ZzMVZ7M?si=qMMERA2LfJXtU1cW)**.**\n\n#### **MIT Bitcoin Expo Livestream**\n\nLast week, software developers, human rights activists, students, and researchers gathered at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) for the 12th annual [MIT Bitcoin Expo](https://mitbtcexpo.org/) — this year in partnership with HRF — to explore how Bitcoin and freedom technologies can defend civil liberties and empower individuals, especially under authoritarian regimes. Born from MIT’s 2014 Bitcoin Project, the expo has grown into a major forum for individual liberation, with panels, workshops, and hackathons centered on privacy, financial autonomy, and decentralized protocols. Tune into the [livestream recording](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLe0djdakvnFbw4URB3g544Hmt1yPiHL00) to catch the speakers, presentations, and panels that defined the event.\n\n*If this article was forwarded to you and you enjoyed reading it, please consider subscribing to the Financial Freedom Report [here](https://mailchi.mp/hrf.org/financial-freedom-newsletter?mc_cid=bf652c0a5a).*\n\n*Support the newsletter by donating bitcoin to HRF’s Financial Freedom program [via BTCPay](https://hrf.org/btc).*\\\n*Want to contribute to the newsletter? Submit tips, stories, news, and ideas by emailing us at ffreport @ [hrf.org](http://hrf.org/)*\n\n*The Bitcoin Development Fund (BDF) is accepting grant proposals on an ongoing basis. The Bitcoin Development Fund is looking to support Bitcoin developers, community builders, and educators. Submit proposals [here](https://forms.monday.com/forms/57019f8829449d9e729d9e3545a237ea?r=use1)*.\n\n[**Subscribe to newsletter**](http://financialfreedomreport.org/)\n\n[**Apply for a grant**](https://forms.monday.com/forms/57019f8829449d9e729d9e3545a237ea?r=use1&mc_cid=39c1c9b7e8&mc_eid=778e9876e3)\n\n[**Support our work**](https://hrf.org/btc?mc_cid=39c1c9b7e8&mc_eid=778e9876e3)\n\n[**Visit our website**](https://hrf.org/programs/financial-freedom/)", "eventTags": [ [ "title", "Financial Freedom Report #69" ], [ "image", "https://blossom.primal.net/db62e21628d3c0d920f916f9d503e69d4a51e19e64f46d5433d4632e08ec9da6.jpg" ], [ "summary", "Today, HRF takes part in the launch of the Bitcoin Humanitarian Alliance in London, where a dozen human rights and aid groups will convene with policymakers, media, finance professionals, and technologists at the Frontline Club to explain how they are using Bitcoin in their work in the field." ], [ "t", "Bitcoin" ], [ "published_at", "1744295109" ], [ "d", "Financial-Freedom-Report-69-rfi4zk" ] ] }

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  "eventContent": "Good morning, readers!\n\nToday, HRF takes part in the launch of the [Bitcoin Humanitarian Alliance](https://bitcoinhumanalliance.org/) in London, where a dozen human rights and aid groups will convene with policymakers, media, finance professionals, and technologists at the Frontline Club to explain how they are using Bitcoin in their work in the field.\n\nElsewhere, we bring news from Turkey, where large, pro-democracy protests erupted over President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s increasing political repression and economic fallout. The Turkish regime has detained more than 2,000 protesters (and counting) as youth appear in droves demanding democracy, accountability, and economic reform.\n\nIn Eastern Africa, Tanzania’s government extended immense restrictions on foreign currency, effectively barring its use in day-to-day payments outside a few circumstances. In a poverty-stricken country where fuel prices have moved forcibly upward for two consecutive months, access to and usage of alternative currencies can be a financial lifeline.\n\nIn Bitcoin news, we spotlight Misty Breez, a new open-source Bitcoin wallet built by Lightning Network infrastructure company Breez. The wallet is a Lightning and Liquid Network hybrid wallet. It gives users control over their funds and abstracts away any complexities of payment channel management, but users must trust the Liquid Federation. In terms of functionality, Misty Breez supports a wide variety of address types, offering users flexibility across the fees, privacy, and censorship resistance of their payments. It may prove a helpful tool for dissidents and activists standing against tyranny.\n\nWe end with the latest edition of the HRF x Pubkey Freedom Tech Series, where HRF’s Ayelen Osorio joins Zimbabwean pastor-turned-activist Evan Mawarire, who recounts his inspiring journey of a peaceful uprising against Robert Mugabe’s dictatorship and the hyperinflation and repression he unleashed on the population. We also feature the live streams of the 2025 MIT Bitcoin Expo in collaboration with HRF. These videos highlight the speakers, panels, and activities led by HRF to raise awareness about financial repression and the tools being built to resist it.\n\n**Now, let’s jump right in!**\n\n### [**SUBSCRIBE HERE**](https://mailchi.mp/hrf.org/financial-freedom-newsletter?mc_cid=bf652c0a5a)\n\n## **GLOBAL NEWS**\n\n#### **Turkey | Government Detains Thousands of Pro-Democracy Protesters**\n\nThe largest [protests](https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/young-turks-drive-protests-against-erdogan-new-generation-seeks-change-2025-04-01/) in over a decade erupted in Istanbul, Turkey, after President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan detained political opposition figure and Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu. Turks of [all walks of life](https://apnews.com/article/turkey-crackdown-opposition-protest-dissent-imamoglu-politics-6f641b9b90c8b9500d411578443d2768) find themselves united by common outrage at the regime’s ongoing political repression and tumultuous economic conditions. With inflation soaring above [39%](https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/turkey-denounces-opposition-calls-day-no-shopping-2025-04-02/) and widespread unemployment among the nation’s youth, it’s no surprise Turks are [flooding](https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/young-turks-drive-protests-against-erdogan-new-generation-seeks-change-2025-04-01/) the streets and demanding change. In response to these demonstrations, law enforcement has since detained more than [2,000](https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/young-turks-drive-protests-against-erdogan-new-generation-seeks-change-2025-04-01/) demonstrators, and police blockades have met student protesters with water cannon trucks to suppress their dissent. Many young Turks feel their future is slipping away in a country where saving is futile, the currency is collapsing, and speaking out comes at a high personal cost. “This feels like our last chance,” one young protester [said](https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/young-turks-drive-protests-against-erdogan-new-generation-seeks-change-2025-04-01/), adding, “If we don’t succeed, many of us will have to leave Turkey.”\n\n#### **Tanzania | Regime Enacts Restrictions on Foreign Currency**\n\nTanzania’s regime is [banning](https://www.africanlawbusiness.com/news/tanzania-extends-foreign-currency-restrictions/) the use of foreign currency outside of a few circumstances (such as duty-free retailers and government membership fees). This means quoting prices in, accepting, or facilitating payments with foreign currency is now illegal, alongside declining to accept the official Tanzanian shilling (TZS). Losing the ability to transact with more stable currencies removes individuals’ ability to shield themselves from inflation and subjects them to local currency volatility. The mandate comes in addition to the Energy and Water Utilities Regulatory Authority [raising](https://www.thecitizen.co.tz/tanzania/business/fuel-prices-in-tanzania-rise-for-second-consecutive-month-4951986) the cost of fuel for a second consecutive month. Locals worry this could further increase the cost of living as the fuel price hike ripples through the economy. These policies mirror the tactics of authoritarians using financial control to limit dissent and restrict individual financial freedom.\n\n#### **China | Incorporates e-CNY CBDC into Financial Sector Guidelines**\n\nChina is [incorporating](https://www.observers.com/banking-and-cbdc-roundup-19-03-2025/) the[ e-CNY](https://cbdctracker.hrf.org/currency/china) central bank digital currency (CBDC) into financial sector guidelines for the first time, signaling a strengthening commitment to fully roll out its CBDC. The e-CNY’s usage is reportedly expanding among Chinese citizens, with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) claiming [800 million](https://www.observers.com/banking-and-cbdc-roundup-19-03-2025/) wallets and over [10.2 trillion](https://www.observers.com/banking-and-cbdc-roundup-19-03-2025/) CNY in transaction volume — though these numbers are both dubiously high and difficult to independently verify. As usage grows, so do concerns over financial and individual liberties. The CCP already uses the financial system to monitor and suppress dissent. For Uyghurs, a Muslim minority in the Uyghur Region grappling with ongoing cultural genocide, mass surveillance, and forced labor from the CCP, the e-CNY would allow the regime to restrict their financial autonomy and freedom completely. As it begins to roll out, it’s important to become aware of the dangers of the e-CNY [here](https://cbdctracker.hrf.org/currency/china).\n\n#### **Burkina Faso | Arrests Three Journalists in Press Crackdown**\n\nBurkina Faso’s military junta [arrested](https://www.hrw.org/news/2025/03/27/burkina-faso-journalists-arrested-media-clampdown) three journalists for reporting on regime-imposed press restrictions. Since seizing power in 2022, the military junta, under the leadership of Ibrahim Traoré, has targeted independent media by detaining reporters, forcing critics into exile, [abusing](https://www.hrw.org/news/2023/11/08/burkina-faso-emergency-law-targets-dissidents) emergency laws to suppress dissent, and using financial repression to disrupt independent funding. Journalists disappear under the guise of forced conscription, international coverage of military abuses is blocked, and outlets that report on crimes against humanity are eradicated. With press freedom in ashes, Burkinabés face an information blackout where state propaganda proliferates. In these contexts, open and uncensorable protocols like nostr can serve as a digital town square where information, value, and assembly flow undisturbed by the reach of oppressive regimes.\n\n#### **Tunisia | Saied Sacks Prime Minister as Economy Crumbles**\n\nTunisian President Kais Saied [dismissed](https://www.gdnonline.com/Details/1348335/Tunisian-president-sacks-prime-minister-amid-economic-and-migration-crisis) Prime Minister Kamel Maddouri less than a year into his term and replaced him with Sara Zaafarani, Tunisia’s third prime minister in under two years. As Saied reshuffles his cabinet to best suit his interests and goals, Tunisia’s economy has reached a standstill. Growth is running below [1.5%](https://www.gdnonline.com/Details/1348335/Tunisian-president-sacks-prime-minister-amid-economic-and-migration-crisis), the cost of living continues to climb, and [shortages](https://www.gdnonline.com/Details/1348335/Tunisian-president-sacks-prime-minister-amid-economic-and-migration-crisis) of staple goods like rice, sugar, and coffee burden the everyday lives of Tunisians. After [staging a coup](https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/tunisian-police-arrest-candidate-presidential-election-2024-07-04/), dissolving the government, and ruling by decree, Saied’s consolidation of power has come inch by inch with the erosion of democracy and financial stability.\n\n## BITCOIN AND FREEDOM TECH NEWS\n\n#### **Breez | Releases New Open-Source Bitcoin Wallet**\n\nBreez, a company helping build out the Bitcoin Lightning economy, [released](https://bitcoinmagazine.com/news/breez-announces-launch-of-new-wallet-misty-breez) a new open-source Bitcoin wallet called “[Misty Breez](https://github.com/breez/misty-breez).” It is a hybrid [Lightning](https://lightning.network/) and [Liquid](https://liquid.net/) Network wallet built using the [Nodeless Breez SDK](https://sdk-doc-liquid.breez.technology/). The wallet offers fast and private transactions without the complexities of payment channel management. The tradeoff? Trusting the Liquid Federation with custody of your Bitcoin. Still, Misty Breez supports many Bitcoin and Lightning features, including on-chain payments, Lightning addresses, BOLT 12 invoices, and offline receiving. So, while the wallet is a trust-minimized solution rather than fully custodial, users gain a wide range of use cases and features unique to this wallet. This could make Misty Breez useful for people facing financial surveillance, internet outages, or authoritarian-imposed financial restrictions. Learn more about the wallet [here](https://bitcoinmagazine.com/news/breez-announces-launch-of-new-wallet-misty-breez).\n\n#### **OpenCash | Bounty for Open Source Cashu x BTCPay Server Plugin**\n\n[The OpenCash Association](https://opencash.dev/) is offering a two million satoshi [bounty](https://opencash.dev/projects) for an open-source plugin allowing merchants to accept [Cashu](http://cashu.me) payments through [BTCPay Server](https://btcpayserver.org/). Cashu is a Bitcoin-based ecash protocol designed to offer fast, low-cost, and very private transactions. For activists and dissidents, ecash enables payments without compromising financial privacy, but they must trust the mints (entities managing the system) to custody their funds. OpenCash specified that the Cashu plugin must integrate cleanly with BTCPay Server and include an input field for ecash redemption or a scannable Cashu payment request. If claimed, this bounty and subsequent integration will help advance Bitcoin’s medium of exchange capabilities and make private payments more accessible by integrating with self-hosted, independent Bitcoin payment infrastructure. Learn more about the bounty [here](https://opencash.dev/projects).\n\n#### **Machankura | Adds Support for Offline Bitcoin Transactions in Uganda**\n\n[Machankura](https://8333.mobi/), a custodial Bitcoin Lightning wallet that helps Africans access Bitcoin without the Internet, [announced](https://x.com/Machankura8333/status/1907151897498165678) they expanded service to Uganda, enabling Ugandans to use Bitcoin without an Internet connection. To do so, Machankura leverages the Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD) protocol for sending text messages. To use the service, users simply dial a designated number on a feature phone (or a smartphone without data) and can access the Bitcoin network in countries like Nigeria, Malawi, Zambia, and now Uganda. Machankura helps democratize Bitcoin access, expands censorship-resistant money across Africa, and offers a practical solution to financial inclusion. If you’re in Uganda or another supported country, try it [here](https://8333.mobi/).\n\n#### **Zeus Wallet | Plans to Introduce Cashu Support**\n\nZeus, a leading self-custodial mobile Lightning wallet, [shared](https://x.com/ZeusLN/status/1907084936856662061) plans for a future Cashu integration. Cashu is an ecash protocol for Bitcoin. It enables practical everyday payments on Bitcoin that are private by design (but users must trust mints to manage their funds). By adding ecash support, Zeus can expand the accessibility of private Bitcoin payments and provide its users with greater flexibility over their financial activity. As part of its upcoming release, the wallet also [introduces](https://x.com/ZeusLN/status/1909251618387722684) two new types of addresses: Zaplocker addresses for Lightning self-custody on mobile and Nostr Wallet Connect (NWC) addresses for remote node runners. While a little more technical, these integrations will improve individuals' ability to transact without exposing their financial history, reducing surveillance risks, especially for those living under authoritarian regimes or in jurisdictions with strict financial controls.\n\n#### **Bitcoin Thailand Festival | Half-Marathon to Challenge Financial Repression**\n\nThe Thai city of Chiang Mai will host the nation’s inaugural [Bitcoin Half Marathon](https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/pr/2993521/bitcoin-marathon-festival-2025-gets-official-green-light-) and [Bitcoin Thailand Festiva](https://www.bitcoinmarathon.org/)l from Nov. 1-2, 2025, under the theme “Run For Freedom.” The marathon’s theme contrasts Thailand’s increasing financial repression and long history of erasing dissent. Even still, the festival’s mission to advance financial freedom and financial literacy with participation from the local Bitcoin community comes at a pressing time. The Thai government is increasingly restricting financial freedoms through [digital cash](https://archive.ph/GTTBB) handouts, which, for all intents and purposes, function as a central bank digital currency that imposes spending restrictions and expiration dates on money. In these environments, Bitcoin education and awareness are more urgent than ever.\n\n#### **Btrust Builders | Announces Builders Pathways**\n\n[Btrust Builders](https://www.btrust.tech/) [introduced](https://blog.btrust.tech/introducing-the-btrust-builders-pathways/?ref=nobsbitcoin.com) Btrust Builders Pathways, a new program designed to equip African developers with the skills and experience needed to contribute to Bitcoin open-source software. The initiative offers five learning tracks, from beginner-friendly Bitcoin fundamentals to advanced Rust programming and Bitcoin Core development. Participants will gain hands-on experience, mentorship, and access to potential funding via Btrust Developer Grants. With this launch, Btrust Builders continues its mission to grow Africa’s Bitcoin development talent and strengthen the software’s ecosystem in a region where many suffer under dozens of authoritarian governments.\n\n## RECOMMENDED CONTENT\n\n#### **How Bitcoin Fights Corruption & Injustice with Evan Mawarire**\n\nIn the latest [edition](https://www.youtube.com/live/6kZ8ZzMVZ7M?si=qMMERA2LfJXtU1cW) of the HRF x Pubkey Freedom Tech Series, HRF’s Content & Research lead [Ayelen Osorio](https://x.com/Ayelen_Osorio) sits down with Zimbabwean pastor-turned-activist [Evan Mawarire](https://x.com/PastorEvanLive) to explore how Bitcoin can serve as a tool for fighting inflation, corruption, and injustice. Together, they unpack Mawarire’s personal journey of leading a peaceful uprising against the tyranny of Robert Mugabe and the hyperinflation he unleashed on his undeserving population. Mawarire details how Zimbabwe’s economic collapse became an orchestrated strategy to control and silence Zimbabweans. He further explains how the peaceful movement galvanized a generation, why financial repression is a central pillar of authoritarianism, and how Bitcoin offers ordinary citizens a way to resist and rebuild. Catch the full conversation [here](https://www.youtube.com/live/6kZ8ZzMVZ7M?si=qMMERA2LfJXtU1cW)**.**\n\n#### **MIT Bitcoin Expo Livestream**\n\nLast week, software developers, human rights activists, students, and researchers gathered at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) for the 12th annual [MIT Bitcoin Expo](https://mitbtcexpo.org/) — this year in partnership with HRF — to explore how Bitcoin and freedom technologies can defend civil liberties and empower individuals, especially under authoritarian regimes. Born from MIT’s 2014 Bitcoin Project, the expo has grown into a major forum for individual liberation, with panels, workshops, and hackathons centered on privacy, financial autonomy, and decentralized protocols. Tune into the [livestream recording](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLe0djdakvnFbw4URB3g544Hmt1yPiHL00) to catch the speakers, presentations, and panels that defined the event.\n\n*If this article was forwarded to you and you enjoyed reading it, please consider subscribing to the Financial Freedom Report [here](https://mailchi.mp/hrf.org/financial-freedom-newsletter?mc_cid=bf652c0a5a).*\n\n*Support the newsletter by donating bitcoin to HRF’s Financial Freedom program [via BTCPay](https://hrf.org/btc).*\\\n*Want to contribute to the newsletter? Submit tips, stories, news, and ideas by emailing us at ffreport @ [hrf.org](http://hrf.org/)*\n\n*The Bitcoin Development Fund (BDF) is accepting grant proposals on an ongoing basis. The Bitcoin Development Fund is looking to support Bitcoin developers, community builders, and educators. Submit proposals [here](https://forms.monday.com/forms/57019f8829449d9e729d9e3545a237ea?r=use1)*.\n\n[**Subscribe to newsletter**](http://financialfreedomreport.org/)\n\n[**Apply for a grant**](https://forms.monday.com/forms/57019f8829449d9e729d9e3545a237ea?r=use1&mc_cid=39c1c9b7e8&mc_eid=778e9876e3)\n\n[**Support our work**](https://hrf.org/btc?mc_cid=39c1c9b7e8&mc_eid=778e9876e3)\n\n[**Visit our website**](https://hrf.org/programs/financial-freedom/)",
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