Authoritarian Tendencies: The Dual Role of AML/CFT Policies

The study focuses on the legal environment of civil society organisations, in particular, the restrictions on CSOs under anti-money laundering and terrorist financing laws, which increasingly go beyond the fight against terrorism and money laundering. Particularly new forms of autocratic ambitions are accompanied by the adoption of discriminatory, inflexible and costly laws that restrict the establishment, operation and activities of CSOs. The restrictions delegitimise the work of CSOs and marginalise the impact they can havein various areas of human rights and advocacy, while violations of the law are subject to various sanctions. The restrictive mechanisms described help to illuminate the ways in which the laws examined can become a weapon in the hands of authoritarian governments or those with authoritarian tendencies, and, as a result, are seen as significantly limiting the autonomy of the civil society sector.