On 8 July 2024, the Brest Regional Court in Belarus sentenced the prominent Belarusian human rights defender and 2024 Nobel Peace Prize nominee Olga Karatch to 12 years' imprisonment and a fine of 170,000 euros under five criminal articles, including, among others, “conspiracy or attempted coup to seize state power by unconstitutional means”, “discrediting the Republic of Belarus” and “defamation of Aliaksandr Lukashenka”, the Belarusian president. Olga Karatch is the head of the Lithuania-based International Centre for Civil Initiatives Our House, which campaigns for the rights of conscientious objectors in Belarus. She is a feminist peace activist who promotes non-violent resistance to the militarised regime and society in Belarus and a member of our global network Feminists Connecting for Peace. We call for Olga Karatch’s protection and the respect of international human rights law.
Olga Karatch was sentenced in absentia along with four other dissidents who live in exile. However, Olga Karatch's asylum application has been rejected by Lithuania and her temporary residence permit expires on 23 August 2024. She faces imminent deportation to Belarus. The issue of Olga Karatch and other conscientious objectors, dissident journalists and human rights defenders in exile was recently raised at the 56th session of the Human Rights Council (18 June to 12 July 2024), with NGOs calling on members of the Human Rights Council to do more to protect conscientious objectors.
As an active member of our global network, we and our network partners call on the state of Lithuania to respect international human rights law and protect Olga Karatch and other human rights defenders at risk of persecution in Belarus. They must be granted asylum immediately.
We and our network partners also call on Switzerland and the international community to exert influence on the Belarusian government to respect its obligations under international law, in particular the right to a fair trial and the right to freedom of expression.
PeaceWomen Across the Globe, 10 July 2024
Website of International Centre for Civil Initiatives Our House
"Ukraine: The war's impact on women and men in the region", contribution by Olga Karatch in the magazine "Feminists Connecting for Peace"
Interview with Olga Karatch in the Swiss newspaper Tages-Anzeiger (September 2023), German
Network meeting with members of Feminists Connecting for Peace, including Olga Karatch.
In three webinars, 53 Belarusian women dissidents and activists anonymously exchanged views on peace, militarisation and security. This project, which we supported with the Feminist Peace Initiatives, helped to break the women's sense of isolation and strengthen solidarity among them.
In February 2024, we invited 12 women peace activists from all over the world to Bern. The aim: to exchange knowledge, brainstorm, and develop strategies to realise common goals and strengthen the network.
The war in Ukraine has led to the increasing celebration of toxic masculinity in the region. As a result, male identity is experiencing a serious crisis that affects a large number of men and women, writes Belarusian peace activist Olga Karatch in her article in the 2. edition of the "Feminists Connecting for Peace" magazine. She lists five ways to counter these patriarchal narratives.
