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Try doing the following:

echo '/C=UK/'

This will output /C=UK/ literally. However, if I try using it in a program...

   openssl req -subj '/C=UK/' (...)

Then I get the following:

    req: the subject name is expected to be in the format /type0=value0/type1=value1/type2=... where characters may be escaped by \. This name is not in that format: 'C:/Programs/Repository/Git/C=UK/'

What causes the standard git bash/minGW environment to mangle any value starting with a forward slash when used as an input for a program (but not plain bash functions such as echo), even if using single quotes?

Attempting to work around it using a variable does not function.

SUBJ='/C=UK/'
openssl req -subj "$SUBJ" (...)

results in the same exact error.

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The solution has to do with something called 'POSIX Path rewriting', which minGW has interpreted meaning to mangle paths used in arguments by prepending whatever its windows install path is. This messes up both windows tools and the command line tools inside git bash, because not every variable starting with a slash is a path.

(In this case, it's an openssl or LDAP string).

The exact solution is to set the following environment variable:

export MSYS_NO_PATHCONV=1

Using any other means than export will also fail. This is quite the buggy behaviour that caught me off guard, and search initially didn't lead me to the answer (until I randomly came upon using the word 'mangle').

Also see How to stop MinGW and MSYS from mangling path names given at the command line

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I'm glad you found a solution to your problem. However, it looks like this question is functionally a dupe of the one this answer references. Do you see something that you think distinguishes it?
I do not. However, the other question was very hard to find, because it doesn't state the full extent of the problem (it's not just paths, it's 'any' parameter beginning with a slash). I mostly posted this to make googling the problem easier. Also, only one of the solutions (not the accepted one) will work for the generic version of the problem.
Then your question is very helpful, because closing it as a dupe of the other provides a signpost that should make the other easier to find. For anyone who wants more detailed information than you have provided in this answer.

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