karach
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“Our House” and “Adliga” CEDAW submissions officially published by OHCHR
Two submissions prepared by “Our House” and “Adliga” officially accepted and published by OHCHR within the CEDAW process Two submissions prepared by the International Centre for Civil Initiatives “Our House” and the affiliated women’s organization “Adliga” have been officially accepted and published by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR)…
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Risk of Non-Transparent Activities and Uncontrolled Discharges in the Vilija Basin (Belarus)
Limited transparency in Belarus increases risks of undetected pollution affecting downstream Lithuanian waters Country: Belarus and its political context → implications for Lithuania Problem formulation On the territory of Belarus, the Vilija River and its associated water bodies are used for various types of economic activity, including industrial water use, agriculture (notably pig farming), and…
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Our House contributed to EBCO Annual Report on conscientious objection in Europe
Human rights groups documented militarisation, persecution, and conscientious objection trends across Europe. Our House Centre for Human Rights and Relief, together with partner organisations and future member organisations of the European Bureau for Conscientious Objection (EBCO), contributed to the preparation of the Annual Report “Conscientious Objection to Military Service in Europe 2025.” The report provides…
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Comments on the Draft CEDAW General Recommendation No. 41 on Gender Stereotypes
Migrant women in Lithuania face layered controls, stereotypes and security checks that shape their rights to family life, residence and legal protection. Country: Lithuania Introduction This submission provides comments on selected provisions of the draft CEDAW General Recommendation No. 41 on gender stereotypes, based on an analysis of the situation in Lithuania. The submission focuses…
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Belarus: Astravets Nuclear Power Plant as a Source of Long-Term Water Risk in the Vilija Basin
Upstream nuclear plant raises transparency concerns and long-term water risks for Lithuania’s river basin How Belarus and its political context influence policy and the environment in downstream Lithuania Problem formulation The Astravets Nuclear Power Plant (BelNPP), located in Belarus near the Lithuanian border (some call it Ostrovets, as they translate the name from Russian, since…
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Comments on the Draft CEDAW General Recommendation No. 41 on Gender Stereotypes
Belarus uses law, policy and media to construct, legitimize and enforce gender stereotypes as systemic governance mechanisms shaping identity and roles Country: Belarus Introduction This submission provides targeted legal comments on selected provisions of the draft General Recommendation No. 41 (hereinafter – “the draft GR”), in light of the situation in the Republic of Belarus.…
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“Right to Language”: Our House launches campaign to defend Belarusian linguistic rights
Our House launches campaign defending Belarusians’ right to use their language On May 6, the human rights organization Our House Centre for Human Rights and Relief officially launched the campaign “Right to Language” (“Права на мову”). The word mova in Belarusian means “language” – not only as a tool of communication, but as a core…
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Transboundary Pollution Without an Operational Early Warning and Response Mechanism
Lack of coordinated early warning systems exposes Lithuania to unmonitored upstream pollution risks. Country: Belarus and its political context → implications for Lithuania Problem formulation The Vilija River, which becomes the Neris on the territory of Lithuania, constitutes a single transboundary watercourse in which any pollution originating upstream on the Belarusian side may have downstream…
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We Did It: Monk Grzegorz Gaweł Released From Belarusian Prison
Polish anti-nuclear monk freed after international solidarity campaign secured his release Today, 28 April, it became known that Grzegorz Gaweł – a Polish Carmelite monk who had been detained and accused of “nuclear espionage” – has been released. A man who, until recently, was almost unknown before our joint campaign is now free, safe, and…
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Belarus: Absence of Independent, Objective, and Verifiable Monitoring on the Vilija
Limited transparency in Belarus’s water monitoring creates systemic risks for Lithuania’s downstream WFD compliance. Country context: Belarus and its political climate, and its implications for Lithuania Problem formulation In Belarus, water resource monitoring, including hydrological monitoring of rivers in the Nemunas basin (including the Vilija River), is carried out within a centralized state environmental monitoring…
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Contribution to the Structured Dialogue on WFD Implementation in Lithuania: Transboundary Challenges in the Vilija–Neris River Basin
Transboundary gaps and upstream risks hinder Lithuania’s Water Framework Directive goals in the Vilija–Neris basin Executive Summary The Vilija River (known in Lithuania as the Neris) is a transboundary water system flowing from Belarus into Lithuania, where it joins the Nemunas River and ultimately drains into the Baltic Sea. Therefore, its environmental condition is shaped…
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Freedom for the Black Nightingales – Children, Anarchists, Political Prisoners in Belarus
Children political prisoners in Belarus remain behind bars for anti-war dissent. For almost a decade, Our House has been one of the very few organisations consistently working on the issue of children behind bars in Belarus, engaging not only with cases of political persecution but also with those involving minors imprisoned under draconian criminal legislation,…
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Aliaksandra Pulinovich. Human rights violation dossier
Detained at sixteen, Aliaksandra Pulinovich now serves a lengthy sentence as a Belarusian political prisoner Prepared by: VšĮ „Our House Centre for Human Rights and Relief“ Date: April 2026 1. Personal information Field Information First name, surname Aliaksandra Pulinovich Date of birth 12 February 2007 Citizenship Republic of Belarus Current place of residence Republic of…
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Nine Belarusian Exile Organizations Urge UN Delegates to Reject Belarus ECOSOC Bid
Nine exile groups urge UN delegates to block Belarus ECOSOC candidacy vote Nine Belarusian organizations in exile, including International Centre for Human Rights and Relief “Our House” have jointly addressed delegates of United Nations Member States, calling on them not to support Belarus in the upcoming elections to the United Nations Economic and Social Council.…
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Exiled Belarusians warn Vilnius: nuclear risks intensify after New START lapse
Nuclear Risk at 444 km: Vilnius Protest Marks New START Expiry Vilnius, 5 April 2026 A joint anti-nuclear protest took place in central Vilnius, organised by Belarusian organisations in exile, including Our House, Dapamoga, Re:Bel and partner groups with support Het Actiefonds. The action was designed to draw attention to the growing nuclear risk in…
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“Le Chant du loup” – France announces it will no longer act in the spirit of the New START treaty and will cease informing others about the number of combat-ready nuclear devices in its possession
Furthermore, France proposes that this now delightfully indeterminate number of warheads might be distributed across Europe, thereby creating what is described as a nuclear umbrella. Le Chant du loup is a film about a French submarine that loses contact with the mainland—and, it would seem, with reality as well. Its crew must decide whether to…
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German school and university students protest conscription plans and the country’s militarization
German students stage nationwide walkouts protesting conscription plans and accelerating militarization under Merz government On March 5, 2026, protests took place in several German cities against a new military service system and army expansion introduced by a law adopted in December, 2025. School pupils and university students joined the demonstrations—numbering several thousand in some cities—skipping…
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Victory: Belarusian conscientious objector Siarhei released from closed refugee camp in Lithuania
On Friday evening, Belarusian conscientious objector Siarhei was released from a closed refugee camp in Lithuania. We won the court case. Although the hearing took place late on Friday, when courts normally finish their work, the court still proceeded and made a decision to release him. On Friday evening, Belarusian conscientious objector Siarhei was released…
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Urgent: Belarusian conscientious objector Siarhei transferred to closed refugee camp in Lithuania
Belarusian conscientious objector Siarhei placed in closed Lithuanian refugee camp after asylum filing. On February 26, 2026 Belarusian conscientious objector Siarhei was taken to a closed refugee detention camp in Lithuania immediately after submitting his renewed application for political asylum. As you know, Siarhei filed a repeated asylum request today. His case has remained extremely…
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23 Years Ago, Olga Karach Won and Became the Only Opposition Deputy in the Vitebsk City Council
Twenty-three years ago, on March 2, 2003, Olga Karach won a seat in the Vitebsk City Council in the first round of voting, becoming the only opposition deputy and the youngest member of the council at that time. During the 2003 local elections in Vitebsk’s Industrial District No. 15, the civic campaign “Our House,” created…