23 August 2023 - Following the denial of political asylum by the Lithuanian authorities for the Belarusian human rights defender Olga Karatch (Volha Karach), the international campaign #protection4olga has just been launched to demand protection and asylum for the director of the organisation 'Our House' who has been fighting for human rights in Belarus for years, including the right toconscientious objection to military service, and for this she is being persecuted and faces the death penalty in her home country where she has been labelled a 'terrorist'.

On 18 August, Lithuania denied her political asylum, calling Olga Karatch a 'person who represents a threat to the national security of the Republic of Lithuania'. Instead, she was granted a one-year residence permit in the country. We strongly support the International Campaign for the immediate protection of the human rights defender Olga Karatch. The UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders adopted in 1998 refers to "the work of individuals, groups and associations that contribute to theeffective elimination of all violations of human rights and fundamental freedoms of peoples and individuals". Olga Karatch, through the organisation she heads "Our House" has numerous activities to her credit in monitoring and defending human rights in Belarus and Belarusian citizens who have fled to other countries - such as Lithuania. For this reason, her organisation has also been chosen by the International Peace Bureau to be a candidate for the 2024 Nobel Peace Prize, together with the Russian Conscientious Objectors Movement and the Ukrainian Peace Movement.

States have an obligation to protect all human rights and fundamental freedoms of all citizens and human rights defenders, who are exposed to grave risks through threats, attacks and intimidation at both local and national levels, in times of armed conflict and peacebuilding, as stated in UN General Assembly Resolution 66/164 . We express deep concern that national security and counter-terrorism measures are often misused to target human rights defenders or hinder their work and compromise their security in a manner contrary to international law, as affirmed in UN Human Rights Council Resolution 22/6 of 2013 on the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, which commits all States to protect and not criminalise human rights defenders.

- We therefore appeal to the highest Lithuanian authorities, the President of the Republic of Lithuania, the Prime Minister and the Minister of Foreign Affairs to respect international standards and provide protection and asylum for the Belarusian-born human rights defender and peace-builder Olga Karatch, who has taken refuge in Lithuania.

- Lithuania is also a member of the European Union. We therefore also appeal to the European institutions which, as stated in the EU Guidelines on Human Rights Defenders, should be firmly committed to protecting them.

- We also appeal to the Italian government to take action so that the protection of human rights defenders is guaranteed always and everywhere.

- We call upon all civil society, from individual citizens to journalists and institutional representatives in Italy and across Europe to take action in defence of human rights and those who defend them.

Sereno Regis Study Centre,
Democratic Jurists,
International Reconciliation Movement (IFOR Italian branch),
Pax Christi Italia (Italian branch of Pax Christi International),
Pressenza Italia (Italian branch of Pressenza International),
Un Ponte Per