The International Center for Civil Initiatives «NASH DOM» («Our House») has evolved from a small, local initiative into an international network.
2002–2006. The Beginning
The idea for the organization originated in Vitebsk in December 2002 with the launch of a local newspaper called «Nash Dom». The name itself came from the courtyard where Olga Karach grew up and was suggested by elderly women living there. Initially, it was just a neighborhood paper, but over time it expanded beyond a single building, becoming a citywide publication in Vitebsk and later reaching ten cities across Belarus.
In March 2003, Olga Karach was elected to the Vitebsk City Council (24th convocation). She won in the first round against three opponents, two of whom were pro-government candidates. She became the only representative of democratic forces in the council and its youngest member.
In 2004, «Nash Dom» grew into a civic campaign within Vitebsk.
Around the same time, its women’s wing, «Adliga», was created. «Adliga» has had a long and complex history. In Belarus, it was repeatedly established (as a cultural and educational institution, «Adliga: Women for Equal Citizenship») and later shut down, including in 2011. Eventually, in 2009, it was successfully registered in the Czech Republic as the International Center for Gender Initiatives «Adliga: Women for Equal Citizenship».
In addition to its advocacy work, «Adliga» publishes its own journal, «The Gender of Politics: New Approaches to the Political», which was officially registered in the Czech Republic in September 2012.
By October 2005, the initiative had attracted human rights defenders, activists from various political parties and organizations, and engaged citizens from across the country. Among them were Kristina Shatikova, Zinaida Timoshek, Andrei Aksenov, Pavel Levinov, and Valery Shchukin.
2006 – 2010. Expansion to the National Level
After the presidential election of March 2006, in which Alexander Lukashenko was declared the winner, mass opposition protests erupted in Minsk. A tent camp was set up on October Square and soon became a symbol of resistance, widely known as «Ploshcha» («The Square») or «Jeans Revolution».
The protests were violently dispersed, hundreds of people were detained, and many activists and opposition politicians faced criminal prosecution.
Although «Nash Dom» was not among the main organizers of the Minsk protests, its activists actively supported the movement by spreading information, helping mobilize people in the regions, and taking part in solidarity campaigns for detainees.
In the aftermath of the 2006 protests, pressure on independent civic initiatives across Belarus — including our organization — increased significantly. While the harshest repression against «Nash Dom» came later, especially after 2010 and 2020, it was after Ploshcha-2006 that the authorities began to clearly view the organization as part of Belarus’s democratic movement.
For many «Nash Dom» activists, March 2006 was their first experience of mass political protest and direct confrontation with state repression.
Ploshcha-2006 became a turning point for «Nash Dom». The organization moved beyond a purely local social agenda, strengthened its connections with the human rights and democratic movements, and began developing into a more structured civic and political initiative. Over time, «Nash Dom» gradually evolved into a nationwide network.
Activists organized numerous actions across Belarus, focusing on helping ordinary people address local social issues and improve public services.
«Nash Dom» worked on practical problems such as road repairs, street lighting, playground construction, maintenance of residential buildings, and other everyday concerns. The goal was to ensure that every city had a local coordinator who could help residents resolve issues more effectively.
As human rights defender and activist Valery Shchukin recalled:
«We could not always influence election results, but we were able to influence the decisions of local deputies and push them to work more effectively. We did not work for money, but for a cause, and we constantly improved in what we did».
This approach led to the campaign «Hold Deputies Accountable!», which was carried out in cities such as Gomel, Slutsk, Mogilev, Vitebsk, Grodno, Brest, Baranovichi, and Minsk.
Through this campaign, activists raised issues related to living conditions across the country, including repairs to street lighting, installation of bus stop shelters, major building renovations, and improvements to residential areas.
Olga Karach emphasized:
«Local councils—not the country’s leader—should be responsible for solving everyday local problems. Today, people often have to appeal to the president to resolve even minor issues, which is clearly abnormal. Local councils should handle social, коммунальные (public utilities), and environmental matters. Our goal is to restore their real representative functions and expand their powers».
Over time, additional campaigns were launched, including «Protection and Solidarity», «Beware of the Police», «Pensioner, Get Involved!», and «Officials.info».
The «Protection and Solidarity» campaign focused on supporting individuals facing political repression. Activists monitored cases and supported public figures such as Nikolai Ulasevich, Ivan Omelchenko, Anatoly Lebedko, Sergei Kalyakin, and Alexander Otrashenko. They shared information both locally and online and wrote letters of support to political prisoners.
The «Beware of the Police!» campaign highlighted abuses by law enforcement. Media publications brought public attention to these issues and, in some cases, led to legal consequences. For example, after an article exposed police brutality, an officer (Dinas Linkus) was sentenced to four years in a high-security prison.
The «Officials.info» project created an online, crowdsourced database of public officials—from dormitory staff to ministers. Users shared their personal experiences, helping to evaluate officials’ performance and encourage accountability. Despite repeated cyberattacks, the platform continued to operate and gather public feedback.
Environmental protection became an important part of our work. In November 2010, «Nash Dom» activists, including Olga Karach, joined an international protest in Germany against the transportation of radioactive waste known as «Castor». The organization also spoke out against the construction of the Astravets Nuclear Power Plant in Belarus, citing the lack of public consultation and serious safety concerns.
At the same time, we continued our educational work. We published the newspaper «Nash Dom» and helped citizens learn how to defend their rights and navigate conflicts with the state through legal means.
2010–2014. From Local Social Activism to Human Rights and Political Advocacy
During the 2010 presidential campaign, «Nash Dom» worked closely with the «Tell the Truth» campaign led by Vladimir Neklyaev. Both initiatives focused on grassroots outreach: going door to door, collecting signatures on local issues, and addressing the everyday concerns of ordinary people rather than relying on political slogans.
After the mass protests of December 19, 2010, and the crackdown that followed, «Nash Dom» joined broader opposition efforts to support political prisoners and bring international attention to the repression in Belarus. Activists organized solidarity campaigns for those arrested and beaten during the protests known as «Ploshcha», while also documenting detentions, court cases, and police violence.
These events marked a turning point for the organization. «Nash Dom» gradually moved beyond a purely local social agenda and became increasingly involved in human rights and political advocacy.
The violent dispersal of the protests dramatically narrowed the space for independent civic activity in Belarus. Pressure on the organization intensified: activists were repeatedly detained and fined, offices were inspected, and Olga Karach was eventually forced to leave the country.
In a broader sense, the protests of 2010 became a precursor to the events of 2020. For the first time in many years, Belarus experienced mass political mobilization, followed by large-scale repression. For «Nash Dom», this period marked its transformation from a local civic initiative into a sustainable human rights and political network.
The organization also began expanding internationally, building partnerships with human rights defenders and civil society groups across Europe, including in Sweden, Germany, France, Spain, and other countries.
In 2011, a new wave of demonstrations — known as the «silent protests» — spread across Belarus. People gathered without flags or slogans, expressing dissent simply by applauding, walking together, or standing silently in public squares. The protests reflected growing frustration with political repression and the worsening economic crisis.
The authorities responded with mass arrests. One notorious case involved a one-armed disabled man who was fined for allegedly «clapping his hands». Although he appealed the ruling, explaining that he physically could not clap, the court upheld the decision. The absurdity of the case later earned Lukashenko his first Ig Nobel Prize.
During the silent protests, «Nash Dom» activists helped mobilize participants, spread information, and support detainees. This period became another important step in the organization’s transition from local social activism to more open human rights and opposition work.
After 2011, «Nash Dom» became increasingly focused on defending political prisoners, documenting repression, supporting victims of political persecution, and conducting international advocacy. The organization firmly established itself as part of Belarus’s democratic and human rights movement. As international recognition of its work grew, so did pressure from the Belarusian authorities.
Activists faced arrests, fines, threats, and constant harassment. Human rights defender Valery Shchukin became known for the extraordinary number of times he was detained because of his opposition and human rights activities. In the years that followed, many «Nash Dom» activists were forced into exile and continued their work from abroad.
One particularly notable incident took place after the terrorist attack in the Minsk metro on April 11, 2011. Belarusian authorities detained «Nash Dom» activists Oleg Borshchevsky, Olga Karach, and Valery Shchukin, attempting to link them to the attack. However, following a strong international solidarity campaign, all three were eventually released.
Other activists, such as Tatyana Yakovleva, were also detained on terrorism-related charges. Many faced arrests, fines, and threats. Valery Shchukin set a record for the number of arrests and time spent in detention due to his human rights and opposition activities.
In 2012, the campaign «Pensioner, Get Involved!» was launched to support older people, encouraging them to defend their rights and actively participate in society.
Each year, «Nash Dom» activists achieved more than 80 practical social improvements. These included upgrading playgrounds and bus stops, inspecting residential buildings, and organizing public actions such as events on International Children’s Day. The organization also held officials accountable for failures in social and public services, sometimes through legal action.
2014–2020. From a Regional Initiative to an international organisation
After the outbreak of the war in Ukraine in 2014, «Nash Dom» adopted a clear anti-war stance. The organization opposed Belarus’s involvement in Russian military projects, warned about the threat to Belarusian sovereignty, highlighted human rights issues during wartime, and spoke out against Russia’s aggression toward Ukraine and the growing militarization of Belarusian society.
During this period, «Nash Dom» also expanded its international presence, building partnerships with European human rights organizations, international foundations, EU institutions, and the Belarusian diaspora. The organization became increasingly active in international conferences and advocacy campaigns focused on Belarus.
For «Nash Dom», 2014 marked a major turning point. The organization evolved:
- from local activism to broader human rights and international work;
- from social campaigns to issues of security, war, and political repression;
- from a regional initiative into a stable international network.
It was during this period that the model of «Nash Dom» later recognized within the international human rights community fully took shape.
In 2014, Lukashenko introduced a decree that dramatically tightened Belarus’s anti-drug laws. He publicly demanded that prison conditions for people convicted of drug offenses be so harsh that they would «beg for death».
Under the new policy, criminal responsibility for drug-related offenses began at the age of 14, while prison sentences were effectively doubled. In a judicial system fully dependent on the authorities, fair trials became nearly impossible. Human rights defenders documented widespread abuses during investigations, including fabricated evidence, intimidation, and serious procedural violations.
The legislation made little distinction between major drug traffickers and ordinary users or low-level couriers. Young people were sentenced to 8–10 years in prison for possessing tiny amounts of drugs — for example, just 0.024 grams of marijuana — punishments comparable to sentences for violent crimes such as murder.
«Nash Dom« viewed these policies not as a genuine fight against crime, but as a mechanism of political and social control. In our view, many people convicted under Article 328 effectively became hostages of the system, as the harsh legislation was used to intimidate young people and demonstrate the power of the regime. We considered this part of Lukashenko’s broader repressive strategy aimed at suppressing civil society and exploiting prisoners.
«Nash Dom« was among the first organizations to systematically defend the rights of minors convicted under Article 328. Our experts analyzed hundreds of criminal cases and identified violations of both Belarusian law and international standards, including the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.
Olga Karach and other activists from the organization submitted alternative reports to the UN Human Rights Committee and the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), urging the international community to recognize the scale of repression carried out through drug-related legislation.
The organization also launched a campaign against what it described as «slave labor» in Belarusian prisons. «Nash Dom» documented the conditions faced by prisoners convicted under Article 328, highlighting forced labor in prison colonies — including wire and rubber processing work — carried out for symbolic wages under dangerous and unhealthy conditions.
We focused on protecting some of the most vulnerable groups affected by Belarus’s law enforcement system.
One of our major initiatives was the defense of the so-called «Children of Article 328» — minors convicted under Belarus’s harsh anti-drug legislation. «Nash Dom» led a large advocacy campaign calling for the humanization of juvenile detention facilities and special correctional institutions. Our experts argued that many teenagers ended up behind bars as a result of police provocation and the failure of the state’s prevention and social support systems.
Through the «Children-Hostages» campaign, the organization collected testimonies documenting violations of children’s rights in prisons and detention centers, including psychological pressure, abuse, and the exploitation of teenage labor.
«Nash Dom» also actively campaigned against forced prison labor. The organization drew attention to the use of prisoners — including those convicted under Article 328 — as a source of cheap labor in prison colonies. We described the processing of industrial waste, such as wire and rubber, as a form of «modern-day slavery», pointing to dangerous working conditions and symbolic wages amounting to only a few cents per month.
Olga Karach, the leader of «Nash Dom», presented reports on the situation in Belarus to international organizations including the United Nations and the OSCE. She drew particular attention to the disproportionately harsh sentences imposed on young people under Decree No. 6.
«Nash Dom» also supported mothers of those convicted under Article 328, working alongside initiatives such as «Mothers 328». The organization helped these women pursue legal action against the Ministry of Internal Affairs and brought wider public attention to their cases.
The reports submitted by «Nash Dom» to the United Nations between 2017 and 2020 became an important instrument of international pressure on the Belarusian authorities. They offered an alternative, independent assessment of the real consequences of Decree No. 6 and challenged the official government narrative. [1]
One of the central areas of «Nash Dom’s» work was international advocacy focused on the consequences of Belarus’s harsh anti-drug legislation, particularly for minors and women.
In 2018, the organization submitted an alternative report to the UN Human Rights Committee based on a legal review of criminal cases involving minors. The report presented evidence of systematic violations, arguing that children often became victims of police provocation while their rights to legal defense and fair trial were routinely ignored.
In 2020, «Nash Dom» addressed the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child, emphasizing that Belarus’s «zero tolerance» drug policy was effectively destroying young people’s futures. Drawing in part on information provided by activists, UN experts expressed concern that detention conditions for minors convicted under Article 328 were so severe that «death could appear preferable».
The organization also submitted reports to CEDAW — the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women — highlighting the situation of women convicted on drug-related charges. Activists described this as a form of «double punishment»: women faced extremely long prison terms while their children were automatically classified as being in a «socially dangerous situation» (SDS), a designation that often resulted in children being removed from their families.
Another important initiative was the «Children-Hostages» campaign. In its reports, «Nash Dom» documented cases in which prison administrations allegedly used psychological pressure on teenagers in an attempt to force their parents to abandon activism connected to the «Mothers 328» movement. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8]
These reports helped bring international attention to the issue. As a result, official UN documents — including the 2020 Concluding Observations of the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child — contained direct recommendations urging Belarus to revise its drug policy toward minors and improve detention conditions for children convicted under drug-related charges. [1, 2]
The UN Committee formally urged Belarus to revise its legislation to ensure that children are treated as holders of rights and protection, rather than as targets of state repression. [1]
The UN recommendations eventually resulted in a formal reduction of prison sentences, although the overall punitive and law-enforcement-centered approach to drug policy in Belarus largely remained in place.
2020–2021. Revolution and Exile
The year 2020 marked a turning point in the history of «Nash Dom». Following the fraudulent presidential election and the outbreak of mass protests, the organization transformed from a primarily civic and human rights initiative into one of the active structures of the Belarusian democratic movement. «Nash Dom» activists participated in protest mobilization, documented events on the ground, supported victims of repression, and helped coordinate civic solidarity.
The crackdown that followed the 2020 election became the largest wave of repression in modern Belarusian history. Independent NGOs and media outlets were shut down, thousands of people became political prisoners, and pressure on activists, journalists, and human rights defenders intensified dramatically. In the first days after the August 2020 election alone, more than 7,000 people were detained. Former detainees reported beatings, torture, humiliation, sleep deprivation, denial of medical care, overcrowded cells, and threats of sexual violence.
Hundreds of NGOs were liquidated, independent media outlets closed, independent trade unions banned, and many organizations and initiatives labeled «extremist». The repression triggered the largest wave of political emigration in Belarus’s modern history, forcing hundreds of thousands of people to flee the country.
By that time, a significant part of the «Nash Dom» team was already operating from abroad, primarily from Lithuania and other EU countries. Inside Belarus, open civic activity had become nearly impossible.
In response, «Nash Dom» focused on international advocacy, support for victims of repression, assistance to political prisoners and their families, and documentation of human rights violations. The organization collected testimonies about torture and violence, worked on political prisoner cases, supported political refugees, cooperated with international organizations and media, and defended Belarusian women and children affected by political persecution.
Among the key issues raised by «Nash Dom» were:
- detention conditions for political prisoners;
- women’s rights under repression;
- pressure on the families of opposition activists;
- the use of the migration crisis by the Lukashenko regime;
- Belarus’s involvement in Russian military projects;
- and the militarization of education.
The organization also became increasingly active on issues related to compulsory military service, personal security, and the right to refuse participation in military activities.
In 2021, pressure on «Nash Dom» escalated sharply. The Lukashenko regime declared resources associated with the organization «extremist», targeted people connected to it, and opened criminal cases. Olga Karach and other representatives of «Nash Dom» became frequent targets of propaganda attacks by state-controlled media.
At the same time, the organization expanded its international work through cooperation with EU institutions, UN platforms, European politicians, and human rights organizations. «Nash Dom» advocated for greater international attention to political prisoners, stronger sanctions against the Lukashenko regime, and humanitarian support for Belarusian refugees and activists.
Following the mass wave of emigration in 2020–2021, «Nash Dom» also provided consultations for Belarusians abroad, assistance with legalization and residency issues, humanitarian aid, and support for the families of political prisoners.
The events of 2020–2021 fundamentally transformed the organization:
- from a civic campaign inside Belarus into an international human rights network in exile;
- from local activism into systematic advocacy and humanitarian work;
- from primarily social campaigns into work focused on political repression, security, and human rights.
It was during this period that «Nash Dom» came to be viewed by the Belarusian authorities as one of the most active democratic organizations operating in exile. Any cooperation with the organization inside Belarus became increasingly dangerous.
2022–Present. Anti-War and Humanitarian Work
After February 24, 2022, «Nash Dom» took a clear and outspoken anti-war position.
The organization strongly opposed the use of Belarusian territory for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, called on Belarusian military personnel not to participate in the war, and openly spoke about the responsibility of the Lukashenko regime for its complicity in Russian aggression.
One of the organization’s key initiatives became the «No Means No» campaign, launched in response to forced military service and the growing militarization of Belarusian society. The campaign promoted the right to conscientious objection and provided practical information on how to avoid conscription and leave Belarus in the event of a mobilization threat. Special attention was given to the militarization of schools and the education system.
«Nash Dom» consistently emphasizes that Belarusians should not become «cannon fodder» in someone else’s war. The organization regularly highlights the connection between authoritarianism, violence, militarism, and human rights abuses.
After the start of the war and the escalation of repression inside Belarus, the number of people fleeing the country increased dramatically. Supporting Belarusian refugees and exiles became one of the organization’s central priorities. «Nash Dom» provides assistance with legalization in EU countries, humanitarian aid, support for women and children, and crisis assistance for activists living in exile.
The organization actively cooperates with the European Union, the United Nations, Belarusian diaspora communities, international anti-war and humanitarian initiatives, and European politicians.
At the same time, «Nash Dom» continues to document political repression, support political prisoners, work with international institutions, and raise awareness about the situation in Belarus.
Following several high-profile cases involving deportations, detentions, and threats against political refugees, the organization also began focusing heavily on the issue of transnational repression. «Nash Dom» advocates for stronger international protection mechanisms for Belarusian activists, campaigns against deportations, and draws attention to the ways the Lukashenko regime uses international mechanisms to pursue its opponents abroad.
Special attention is given to women political prisoners and the children of people targeted by political repression.
