karach
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Our House Becomes an Official Member of the ICBL-CMC, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate
Our House joins Nobel Peace Prize–linked coalition advancing global humanitarian disarmament efforts. On 10 February 2026, Our House, a Belarusian human rights organisation in exile, has officially been accepted as a member of the International Campaign to Ban Landmines – Cluster Munition Coalition (ICBL-CMC) – a global civil society campaign working for a world free…
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February 26, 2026: Belarusian CO Siarhei files a renewed asylum application in Lithuania
Belarusian conscientious objector Siarhei seeks protection again after repeated asylum refusals in Lithuania. 26 February 2026 marks an important moment in Siarhei’s case. We submitted a renewed application for political asylum in Lithuania for Siarhei, a Belarusian conscientious objector who has previously been labelled a “threat to national security” in Lithuania. His photo is attached…
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Belarusian Conscientious Objector Siarhei at Risk of Deportation from Lithuania to Belarus
Conscientious objector from Belarus faces deportation risk despite clear persecution evidence. This case concerns Siarhei, a Belarusian welder and trained engineer, and a conscientious objector to military service. Coming from a multi-generation family of military officers, he made a deliberate and principled break with that tradition, rejecting militarization and adopting a consistent anti-war and human…
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Public Action of Our House in Vilnius Against Russian Military Bases in Belarus
Women of Our House joined global action against Russian foreign military bases in Belarus. Women activists from Our House Centre for Human Rights and Relief joined the global initiative Global Days of Action to #CloseBases, an international campaign coordinated by the peace movement World BEYOND War, aimed at drawing public attention to the risks created…
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85 Seconds to Midnight: Why Europe Must Stop Normalising Doomsday Politics
As the Doomsday Clock ticks closer, Europe must reject nuclear weapons now. On 27 January at 15:00 GMT, the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists unveiled the Doomsday Clock. The livestream was available at: https://thebulletin.org/doomsday-clock/ In 2025, the Bulletin set the Clock to 89 seconds to Doomsday — at the time, the closest it had ever been.…
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Anatoly Kotov – Another Belarusian Opposition Politician Who Has Disappeared Without a Trace
In the past, rivals of Lukashenko and independent journalists have disappeared without a trace inside Belarus, but now a politician has vanished outside the country, in Turkey, and nothing has been known about him for five months. Human rights violation dossier: Anatoly Kotov, prepared by: VšĮ „Our House Centre for Human Rights and Relief“, January…
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Olga Karach declared extremist in Belarus for the 25th time
Belarus criminalizes Olga Karach again, marking her twenty-fifth designation as extremist today. On 20 January, the Baranovichi and Baranovichi District Court declared the TikTok page of Olga Karach to be “extremist material.” From this moment, in Belarus any distribution, reposting, quoting, or even public support of materials from Olga Karach’s TikTok page and from the…
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“Our House” Welcomes the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons and Calls on Belarus to Join It
Five years after the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons entered into force, Belarus still refuses to accede to it. On 22 January, five years mark the entry into force of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW). On 22 January 2021, this treaty became a legally binding international instrument and opened…
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Our House Could Become a Platform for Alternative Service in Lithuania
Human rights defenders ask the Ministry of Defence to allow alternative service at “Our House”. Olga Karach, Director of the human rights organisation VšĮ “Our House Centre for Human Rights and Relief”, has sent an official request to the Lithuanian Ministry of Defence asking for clarification of the rules and procedures for alternative service and…
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In Belarus, a Conscription Soldier Has Taken His Own Life
In Zhodino, 23-year-old conscription soldier Vladimir Maksimov has died – another tragedy that once again raises serious questions about safety, psychological support, and accountability within Belarus’s conscription system. In the city of Zhodino, on the night of 13 January 2026, 23-year-old conscription soldier Vladimir Maksimov took his own life. Vladimir was originally from Barysaw near…
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Belarus Escalates Repression Against Conscientious Objectors: Military Certificate Required for Passports and Driving Licences (from 11 February 2026)
Belarus is tightening repression by linking passports and driving licences to military registration, directly targeting conscientious objectors. From 11 February 2026, amendments to Presidential Decree No. 200 on administrative procedures come into force in Belarus. The changes were introduced by Alexander Lukashenko’s Decree No. 5 of 9 January 2026. They form part of a systematic…
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Our House submits OHCHR input on conscientious objection in Lithuania
Our House reports systemic barriers to conscientious objection and asylum protection in Lithuania. Our House Centre for Human Rights and Relief has submitted an official input to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) under the Call for Inputs on Conscientious Objection to Military Service. The submission contributes to the…
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Our House submits OHCHR input on conscientious objection in Belarus
Our House submits UN report on Belarusian conscientious objectors facing systemic persecution. Our House Centre for Human Rights and Relief has submitted an official input to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in response to the Call for Inputs on Conscientious Objection to Military Service. The submission contributes to…
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Inputs for OHCHR: Conscientious objection to military service in Belarus
Belarus systematically suppresses conscientious objection, expanding criminal penalties, militarization, and coercive recruitment while undermining international human rights standards. January 15, 2026 1. Brief summary Belarus maintains compulsory military service for male citizens of conscription age (18-27 years), with conscription generally taking place twice a year. IIn 2025, this is confirmed by official documents on spring…
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Belarusian Conscientious Objector Ilya Faces Immediate Deportation from Lithuania to Belarus
A Belarusian conscientious objector risks deportation despite pending international human rights proceedings. Ilya is a Belarusian citizen, asylum seeker, and conscientious objector who has refused military service on moral, political, and humanitarian grounds. After exhausting all national remedies in Lithuania, he now faces imminent deportation to Belarus. He left Belarus on 28 February 2022 after…
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Humanitarian Aid to Belarusian, Russian and Ukrainian Refugees under Attack by Belarusian Security Services
Belarusian security services criminalize humanitarian aid, targeting volunteers supporting refugees across Lithuania, Poland, and Latvia. The humanitarian activities of the Belarusian human rights organisation in exile “Our House”, carried out jointly with IGFM / Arbeitsgruppe Wittlich (Germany), have been officially labeled as extremist by the Republic of Belarus, despite the fact that this assistance is…
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Lithuania Failed the Migration Policy Exam
A tough policy toward migrants and refugees is reducing Lithuania’s integration outcomes, investment attractiveness, and competitiveness within the European Union. Lithuania has ranked second from last in the EU in terms of the quality of its migration policy. This was reported by MIPEX (the Migrant Integration Policy Index), an international tool used to measure and…
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Sign the Petitions to Protect the Viliya•Neris River and the Wild Baltic Salmon
The Viliya–Neris is one of the last largely intact river ecosystems in the Baltic region – a vital migration corridor for Wild Baltic Salmon and a lifeline for protected Natura 2000 habitats. Yet this living river is increasingly exposed to overlapping nuclear, ecological and infrastructural risks. The Astravets nuclear plant in Belarus – already associated…
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A festive look at how international solidarity gave Belarusian children in exile in Lithuania a real New Year
Three days of celebration in exile showed how community, kindness, and solidarity can restore joy and hope to displaced families. On 26, 27 and 28 December 2025, “Our House Centre for Human Rights and Relief” opened its doors to 42 Belarusian children in exile, 47 adults from the families of Belarusian political refugees, and 16…
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The Neris as a Front Line: Smuggling, Radiation, and Evacuation by River
Today, the very same river is viewed simultaneously as a migration corridor for wild salmon, as a possible evacuation route for a capital city, and as a channel for discharging future man-made risks from Belarus’s nuclear program. These scenarios are incompatible, and a choice must be made now. Together with the salmon, we tell the…