FAQ

LIBERECO was founded in February 2009 by students in Bonn, many of whom were active with Amnesty International at the time. Since the beginning of the 2000s, personal connections had led to contacts with people who were active in various forms in Belarusian civil society. Together with new supporters, we have increasingly intensified these connections and successively expanded them through cooperation with local partner organizations.

The word “Libereco” comes from the artificial language Esperanto. Ludwik Lejzer Zamenhof presented it to the world public in 1887 in order to create an opportunity for clear and simple communication between all peoples. The translation of “Libereco” is “freedom”. This name is our program and core objective, it stands for what we stand for.

Human rights violations are still an instrument of governance in Belarus. It is the only country in Europe that still carries out the death penalty, journalists cannot report freely, and demonstrations are sometimes brutally suppressed. Furthermore, people who speak out critically against the regime of President Alexander Lukashenko, who has ruled autocratically since 1994, not only risk losing their job or place at university, but they also face severe fines and long prison sentences.

The situation in neighboring Ukraine is better. However, since the outbreak of the war, human rights violations have also increased massively in the country, especially in the conflict areas. This is why LIBERECO has also been active there since spring 2014. Initially, we mainly collected donations for humanitarian projects, and from there we have built long-lasting partnerships in human rights work and education.

Together with our partner organizations, we collect information on human rights violations and initiate related projects, workshops and high-profile campaigns. We raise public awareness of the problems in Belarus and Ukraine, train trainers , and network together organizations and individuals.

Together, we protest against human rights violations and try to improve the human rights situation in both countries in various ways. This enables us to help the victims of human rights violations and their families and show solidarity with them.

In Belarus, we cooperate with the Viasna Human Rights Center and the Politzek.me initiative, in Ukraine with East SOS, Angels of Salvation and the Educational Human Rights House Chernihiv.

Our office is in Berlin, but we are active throughout Europe. We communicate via Signal, Zoom and e-mail, and meet several times a year to plan our actions and projects.

We have been working closely with human rights organizations in Belarus since our foundation in 2009, and with NGOs in Ukraine since 2014. For us, “partnership” means that we work together as equals. Together, we develop ideas and projects that are tailored to the current needs in Belarus and Ukraine.

LIBERECO is a member of the Civic Solidarity Platform. We have also joined the Transparent Civil Society Initiative of Transparency International Germany. This means we are committed to making our work transparent to the public and our donors.

LIBERECO is largely financed by membership fees and donations. Your donation enables us to directly help people in need in Belarus and Ukraine. Moreover, we can use your donation to document and publicize human rights violations in order to increase political pressure on those responsible.

As a member, you can actively work with us. If you are interested in becoming a member or working with us, simply contact us without obligation.

Anyone over the age of 16 who agrees with our aims can become a member of LIBERECO – Partnership for Human Rights e.V. Membership under the age of 16 is possible with the consent of a parent or guardian.

Each member pays an annual membership fee and has a say in the objectives, activities and further development of LIBERECO. Every member is entitled to vote at the annual general meeting.

In addition, every member has the opportunity to become actively involved in LIBERECO. however, active participation is not a prerequisite for membership.

LIBERECO sees itself as a non-denominational and non-partisan organization. We are open to all people, regardless of ideology or religion.

We reject racist, xenophobic, anti-Semitic, sexist, homophobic and transphobic statements, and strongly distance ourselves from organizations and individuals who hold such views!