LIBERECO - Partnership for Human Rights

Today, Ales Bialiatski celebrates his birthday.

This photo was taken in spring 2021 in Geneva, at a demonstration in support of Belarus outside the United Nations. There, Lars Bünger , President of LIBERECO – Partnership for Human Rights Switzerland, met Ales.

Just a few months later, on 14 July 2021, Ales was detained during a large-scale crackdown on Viasna human rights defenders. In March 2023, he was sentenced to 10 years in prison. He remained behind bars until his release on 13 December 2025.

Ales is a long-time friend of LIBERECO, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate and the founder of the Human Rights Center Праваабарончы Цэнтр "Вясна" , one of our long-standing partners. For decades, he has defended human rights, democracy and freedom in Belarus.

After his release, he returned to this work. In June, he announced the creation of the Ales Bialiatski Foundation, a new international initiative focused on human rights, peacebuilding, international justice and strengthening civil society.

For us, this photo is also a reminder of how quickly an ordinary meeting can become part of history — and of how long the struggle for freedom in Belarus has already lasted.

Lars Bünger says:

“I wish Ales a very happy birthday, as well as strength and confidence for all the challenges that lie ahead. Above all, I wish him and all other Belarusians who have been forced into exile that they will soon be able to return to a free Belarus and help build a democracy there.”

We are honoured to continue standing alongside Ales, Viasna and all those working for the release of Belarusian political prisoners.

Happy birthday, Ales! ❤️

International solidarity can make a difference for people who are being persecuted for standing up for their rights and freedoms. At our event in Dresden, held in cooperation with the Lutheranian Working Group of Saxony, we discussed experiences with state repression in the former GDR and in present-day Belarus. The discussion focused on the mechanisms of authoritarian rule, the treatment of opposition forces, and perceptions of the regimes - ranging from romanticization to the facts. The former GDR cannot be considered a blueprint, but it can serve as an analytical starting point for developments in Belarus. One thing became clear during the event: we must continually speak out about the courage of those who stand up for a free and democratic society - and who were still, imprisoned for doing so.

Our godparenthood campaign offers one way to make this solidarity visible. godparenthoods help bring the stories of political prisoners to public attention, keep their plight in the public consciousness, and show them that people outside of Belarus stand by their side.

Lars Rohwer , a member of the Deutscher Bundestag , shared his experiences supporting a Belarusian political prisoner as part of our godparenthood campaign. The prisoner he supports is a pastor - a personal connection for Rohwer, who himself grew up in a family of pastors. His ties to Dresden and the local community also shape his commitment.

Evelyn Zupke, the Federal Commissioner for the Victims of the SED Dictatorship, emphasized the importance of international solidarity for dissidents in the GDR. This experience is also relevant for the people of Belarus: solidarity across borders can give strength to those who stand up for freedom and democracy.

Supporting political prisoners also means bringing their stories to light and remembering what they stand for. Their commitment to freedom and democratic rights must not be forgotten.

You can show solidarity with Ukrainians held in Russian captivity by sending them a postcard. 💙💛

More than 16,000 Ukrainian civilians are currently being unlawfully held in Russia and the occupied territories.
This autumn, you can write a postcard to a Ukrainian person held in Russian captivity. Your words can bring hope behind prison walls and show that people outside Russia have not forgotten them.

It’s simple:
✍️ Write one or as many postcards as you like.
📮 Send them to a LIBERECO – Partnership for Human Rights office in Zurich or Berlin.
📬 We will forward the postcards to Russian prisons.
Swipe through the slides to see who you can write to this autumn and how it works.
Every postcard matters.
👉 Read more on the LIBERECO website.

25 political prisoners pardoned in Belarus — and forcibly deported to Lithuania.

Freedom after imprisonment often means starting over in exile with almost nothing.

🫶 LIBERECO is providing emergency support — helping with accommodation, food, healthcare, documents, and other essentials.

Donate to support people rebuilding their lives in freedom. Every contribution matters. Link in comments..

Photos Праваабарончы Цэнтр "Вясна" campaign

1 DAY UNTIL WE MAKE NOISE🥁🥄🍳

Tomorrow, we make noise.🔥🔥🔥

Not from a stage. Not for an audience.
Together.

For one afternoon, hundreds of individual sounds will become one collective artwork — created by the people who show up.

There is still time to be one of them.

Don’t just come to watch. Come to take part.

19 Sept · NDSM, Amsterdam
Participants: 14:30 · Performance: 16:00

🟡Register at MAKENOISE.ART🔗

This week, Oleksandra Delemenchuk, Ukrainian human rights defender, founder and director of Tbilisi Shelter City, has left us at age 43. Sasha’s passing is a heartbreaking loss for the human rights community — and most of all for those who knew her personally.

At LIBERECO we were lucky enough to have this privilege.

Sasha dedicated much of her life to defending human rights in Ukraine and beyond. Her work took her through wars and revolutions, international advocacy and the protection of minorities, Europe and the world. Through Tbilisi Shelter City alone, she and her team supported over 400 human rights defenders and their families. But her impact reached much further, to countless organisations, projects, and individuals.

What connected us was our human rights focus and our support for those who had dedicated their own lives to protecting and supporting others. Sasha was a great moderator and supervisor who spotted strengths and problems in any organisation, any project, and could come up with a remedy. She and her team deserve a medal of their own for their support of Belarusians who had to flee. And she had an astonishing talent for finding the right words, even in the most difficult situations.

Sasha had this specific mix of the right values, an unconditional readiness to act on whatever came up, and a good sense of humour. This is what we loved about her. And this, she said once, is what we need to make the world a better place.

She did exactly that, and that is how so many people will remember her.

We wish she could have continued for much longer, and are deeply saddened that Sasha is no longer with us.

Our thoughts are with all the others who mourn Sasha today.

Rest in peace, Sasha. You are leaving a hole in our hearts, in the human rights community, and in all the civil societies that benefited from your brilliance, care, and dedication.

Join us in Switzerland this fall and stand in solidarity with Belarusian political prisoners.

Come to one of our upcoming events, raise your voice for those unjustly imprisoned, and show that political prisoners in Belarus are not forgotten.

Want to support our work beyond these events? Much of LIBERECO’s work for the people of Belarus and Ukraine is made possible by our members. As a member, you can contribute your own ideas, help organize activities and campaigns, and become part of our community.

Become a LIBERECO member and make a difference!
🔗 Find out more via the link in our Stories.

🇺🇦 Musik und Vortrag für die Ukraine

Wie verändert Russland Sprache, Bildung und Identität in den besetzten Gebieten der Ukraine?

Ira Ganzhorn FräuleinEinhorn von LIBERECO – Partnership for Human Rights – Partnership for Human Rights spricht über Russifizierung, Militarisierung von Kindern und den Einfluss von Propaganda auf die ukrainische Identität.
Im zweiten Teil spielt die ukrainische Pianistin Kateryna-Sophia Shyk Kateryna-Sofiia Shyk Werke von Johannes Brahms und Borys Lyatoshynskyi. 🎹

Der musikalische Teil ist Teil des Projekts CODE – einer Initiative, die ukrainische klassische Musik in Europa und weltweit sichtbarer machen und fördern möchte.

📅 30.09. | 18:30 Uhr
📍 Evangelischer Gemeindesaal
🎟 Eintritt frei

Die Veranstaltung findet im Rahmen der Interkulturellen Woche im Landkreis Sigmaringen statt. Vielen Dank an den Arbeitskreis Asyl Mengen für die Organisation 💙💛