A group of human rights defenders from around the world have written an open letter to US lawmakers supporting the use of Bitcoin.
According to a CNBC report, 21 human rights advocates from 20 countries sent a letter to members of the US Congress saying Bitcoin is empowering individuals in countries where “local currencies are collapsing.” The letter follows a number of prominent technologists warning Congress about the dangers of crypto and lobbying efforts to make digital assets more ubiquitous.
Rights advocates claimed to have relied on Bitcoin and stablecoins to circumvent traditional banking systems. The letter notes that “tens of millions” of individuals living under authoritarian regimes or unstable economies have also turned to crypto.
The letter stated:
Bitcoin provides financial inclusion and empowerment because it is open and permissionless. We are not industry financiers or professional lobbyists, but humanitarians and democracy advocates who have used bitcoin to help people at risk when other options have failed.
In particular, the letter highlighted Nigeria, Turkey, and Argentina as examples of countries where fiat currencies have become destabilized, leading individuals to turn to digital assets as their preferred alternative.
Alex Gladstein, director of strategy at the Human Rights Foundation and one of the letter’s authors, criticized the technologists’ call for Congress to clamp down on crypto. Gladstein noted that 23 of the 25 technologists who issued the anti-crypto warning were from the United States or Europe, pointing out that they enjoy dollar and euro privilege.
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