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On the occasion of Freedom Day on 25 March, the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania hosted discussion “2015 in Belarus – when the geopolitics takes precedence over the values ​​of democracy” during which important issues of the current situation in the country and the Belarusian-European relations were discussed.

On 17 March, 2015, the hearing on a lawsuit to close down the only registered regional human rights organisation in the country – the Mahiliou Human Rights Center (MHRC) has started. This lawsuit comes amidst an ongoing crackdown on human rights defenders by the Belarusian authorities.

The traditional Independence Day celebration will take place in Vilnius on March 25. On this day, 97 years ago, the independence of the Belarusian Democratic Republic was proclaimed.

The deportation of Elena Tonkacheva demonstrates “the immense challenges that continue to exist for human rights defenders to fulfill their work in Belarus.” This was stated on 6 March, by Miklós Haraszti, the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Belarus, at the UN Human Rights Council.

Women human rights defenders challenge gender inequality and stereotypes, advance sexual and reproductive rights, and promote women’s empowerment and participation in society. They often challenge religious and cultural norms and patriarchal attitudes that subordinate, stigmatize or restrict women.

The Human Rights Council (HRC) of the United Nations must defend civil society space and, through the various tools at its disposal, it must exert all the pressure it can to curb abuses of power and call for accountability.This was stated by the Belarusian human rights defender Ales Bialiatski, during his speech at the 28th session of the HRC in Geneva on 5 March.

Leanid Sudalenka, chairman of the Homel city branch of the public association “Legal Initiative”, has lodged a complaint with the police department of the Homel Regional Executive Committee. He asks the police to identify the individual or legal person (IP-address), which administers the website gomelbest.com, and who threatens the children of human rights defender.

On 13-15 February a conference on “Additional guarantees and immunities for advocates of human rights” was held in Chisinau (Moldova). It has become an important stage in the work of graduates and experts of the Human Rights House Network Program “International Law in Advocacy” to support human rights defenders, including human rights lawyers. During the event, lawyers from Azerbaijan, Belarus, Moldova, Russia and Ukraine discussed the existing and additional tools that would protect those, who work in the field of human rights, and guarantee their security and independence.

The Prague Civil Society Centre is established to support civil society and human rights defenders in Eastern Europe, Russia and Central Asia. “Civil society in the region has tremendous potential yet it is under growing pressure“, says the Centre’s director Rostislav Valvoda.