Politzek
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The Belarusian GULAG on German Television Channel ZDF — A Report Featuring Olga Karach
In ZDF’s report, Olga Karach exposes slave labour in Belarusian penal colonies. The German television channel ZDF aired a report on its programme frontal, examining forced labour in Belarusian penal colonies and how goods produced by prisoners have reached, and continue to reach, the European market through complex supply chains. The report features Olga Karach,…
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Our House Youth Bring Belarusian Voices to Helsinki
Our House’s youth team recently visited Helsinki for a programme of meetings, exchanges and advocacy activities focused on the challenges facing young Belarusians in exile. IMG_2890 An important part of the visit was a series of meetings with Finnish parliamentarians and German diplomats. These conversations provided an opportunity to raise concerns about the protection of…
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Our House Brings the Experience of Women in Exile into the EU Gender Action Plan IV
Policy input urges the EU to confront gendered transnational repression across borders. Our House Centre for Human Rights and Relief has prepared a new Policy Input for the development of the EU Gender Action Plan IV (GAP IV) 2028–2034, bringing into the European policy debate an issue that remains too often overlooked: authoritarian repression does…
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When War Reaches the River
How Militarisation Is Changing the Environment of Eastern Europe — Long Before the First Shot Is Fired By Olga Karach When we talk about the environmental consequences of war, we usually picture scenes of destruction: burning forests, bombed-out industrial facilities, contaminated soil, damaged dams, oil on the water, mines scattered across fields that once produced…
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Olga Karach has been labeled an «extremist» 32 times — a record in Lukashenko’s campaign against Belarusian civil society
Olga Karach, organisations affiliated with her, and the activities of Our House have now been labelled «extremist» or «terrorist» by Lukashenko’s regime 32 times. Today we learned that our X social media profile had been added to the list. This is a record number of repressive labels imposed on a Belarusian human rights defender and the organisations…
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Not everyone who does not want to fight wants peace
Why conscientious objection is only the beginning of demilitarisation This article is not an attempt to provide a ready-made answer. Rather, it is an invitation to think more deeply about what we actually mean by antimilitarism when war ceases to be an abstract possibility and becomes an immediate political reality. The past four years of…
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Olga Karach to Speak at the University of Helsinki on the 120th Anniversary of Satyagraha
Olga Karach to Speak at the University of Helsinki on the 120th Anniversary of Satyagraha Olga Karach at the University of Helsinki: Gandhi, Satyagraha and the Power of Nonviolence 120 Years Later Today, 11 September 2026, human rights defender and head of the organisation “Our House” Olga Karach will take part in an international seminar…
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The Third September 11: 120 Years of Satyagraha and the Question of the Power of Nonviolence Today
September 11 is usually remembered as a date of violence. But this date also carries…
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Olga Karach has been labeled an «extremist» 31 times — a record in Lukashenko’s campaign against Belarusian civil society
Olga Karach, organisations affiliated with her, and the activities of Our House have now been labelled «extremist» or «terrorist» by Lukashenko’s regime 31 times. Today we learned that our Threads social media profile had been added to the list. This is a record number of repressive labels imposed on a Belarusian human rights defender and…
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Our House Invited to Help Shape a New EU Civil Society Protection Mechanism
Our House brings Belarusian human rights experience into shaping EU protection mechanisms. The Human Rights Centre Our House has been invited to participate in a consultation by the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) on the creation of a new Europe-wide Online Knowledge Hub on Civic Space — an online platform dedicated to civic space, threat monitoring…
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Olga Karach to Join International Expert Roundtable on Women, Water Diplomacy and Peacebuilding
Human rights defender Olga Karach joins international experts advancing women-led water diplomacy. On 14 September 2026, Belarusian human rights defender and peace activist Olga Karach, head of the International Centre for Civil Initiatives “Our House”, will take part in the international Expert Roundtable “Empowering Women in Water Diplomacy for Peacebuilding in the Conflict-Affected MENA Region.”…
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Our House – Drafting Proposals on the Nationality of Children – CDCJ 2026
Strasbourg, 30 June / juin 2026 Bilingual / Bilingue EUROPEAN COMMITTEE ON LEGAL CO-OPERATION (CDCJ) LIMITED WORKING GROUP ON MIGRATION (CDCJ-MIG) Draft revised Recommendation CM/Rec on the nationality of children (CDCJ-MIG(2026)02 prov3), its draft explanatory memorandum (CDCJ-MIG(2026)03 prov3) and its draft checklist for…
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Our House: Recommendation CM/Rec on the nationality of children
Strasbourg, 30 June / juin 2026 Bilingual / Bilingue EUROPEAN COMMITTEE ON LEGAL CO-OPERATION (CDCJ) LIMITED WORKING GROUP ON MIGRATION (CDCJ-MIG) Draft revised Recommendation CM/Rec on the nationality of children (CDCJ-MIG(2026)02 prov3), its draft explanatory memorandum (CDCJ-MIG(2026)03 prov3) and its draft checklist for policy makers (CDCJ-2026)05 prov3) DRAFTING PROPOSALS…
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European Peace Strategy. For A Shared, Human-Centered Future
A strategy for European States, EU Institutions, Municipalities and Civil Society Actors. This book contains 42 proposals for active peace policy. Concept and Project Lead: Thomas Roithner, Int. Fellowship of Reconciliation – Austrian Branch, Fabian Hämmerle, ICAN Austria – Kampagne zur Abschaffung von Nuklearwaffen Marit Seyer, Campaign to Stop Killer Robots Austria Download
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Olga Karach has been labeled an «extremist» 30 times — a record in Lukashenko’s campaign against Belarusian civil society
Olga Karach, organisations affiliated with her, and the activities of Our House have now been labelled «extremist» or «terrorist» by Lukashenko’s regime 30 times. This is a record number of repressive labels imposed on a Belarusian human rights defender and the organisations and initiatives associated with her. Today we learned that our website, https://www.ndbelarus.com, had…
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Olga Karach Receives Peace Ambassador 2026 Award in Sweden
Belarusian human rights defender Olga Karach received the Peace Ambassador 2026 award. On 22 August 2026, Belarusian human rights defender Olga Karach, head of the human rights organisation Our House, received the international Peace Ambassador 2026 award at the Peace World Award ceremony in Stockholm, Sweden. The award recognises Karach’s longstanding human rights and anti-war work, including…
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When a Migration-Related Security Assessment Becomes a Funding Barrier
Lithuania: a documented cross-border inconsistency affecting a migrant woman human rights defender and a women-led CSO Case submitted for the Verian study commissioned by the European Parliament Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality (FEMM) on changes in the funding environment for women’s rights civil society organisations in the EU Purpose of this submission This…
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Our House Prepares Policy Input to Shape Europe’s Next Gender Action Plan IV (GAP IV) for 2028–2034
Our House brings exile women’s voices into Europe’s future gender equality policy. Our House Centre for Human Rights and Relief has prepared a policy contribution to the development of the European Union’s next Gender Action Plan IV (GAP IV) for 2028–2034, following an invitation shared by colleagues from PeaceWomen Across the Globe. The official regional…
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Racism is fundamentally incompatible with human rights — Our statement
The International Center for Civil Initiatives «Our House» consistently stands against racism, xenophobia, and national and gender discrimination in all their forms. We are an organization of activists who have been forced into exile for political reasons. That is why we understand all too well how destructive prejudice, hate speech, collective stigmatization, and discrimination can…
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Gendered Transnational Repression, Women in Exile and Women, Peace and Security
POLICY INPUT Gendered Transnational Repression, Women in Exile and Women, Peace and Security Priorities for the EU Gender Action Plan IV (2028-2034) from the Enlargement and Eastern Neighbourhood perspective PREPARED BY Our House Centre for Human Rights and Relief CONSULTATION EC / EEAS Structured Dialogue on GAP IV REGIONAL SESSION Enlargement and Eastern Neighbourhood Core…