Our organization has been accepted as a stakeholder of the B
elarusian Human Rights House in Vilnius, and thus became a part of a large international network of human rights organizations."We hope that an equal cooperation with such strong human rights NGOs like Viasna, Belarusian Helsinki Committee, BAJ etc., as well as dozens of major HR organizations worldwide will enable us to do more for improving situation in Belarus," - says JuBIC chairwoman Mariana Iljina.
The unanimous decision by the General Assembly of stakeholders of Belarusian HRH on 3 March, 2010 opened the doors for JuBIC to become a full member of the association. It means that from now on, JuBIC will be an active part of international advocacy campaigns and will contribute to the efforts of the strongest Belarusian human rights defenders to reinforce respect to human rights in post-soviet Belarus, protect the victims of the system, and improve legal environment.
Mariana Iljina, the Chairwoman is going to represent the interests of JuBIC in the HR House, showing the meaning we attach to this partnership.
"JuBIC is not a human rights NGO; yet, human rights suggest a key to our organizational goals, i.e. closer links between Belarus and Lithuania/EU, and the general country's democratization, - says Mariana. - We are very supportive of strengthening respect for HR values in Belarus and Lithuania. We focus on freedom of movement in our activities, something very relevant for Belarusians who have been mostly deprived of it by visa curtain between the country and EU member states. This situation must be changed".
JuBIC has been cooperating with the HR House in Vilnius for some period, as well as with HRH Foundation in Oslo - administering the association's webpage, arranging events and gatherings. "Now we are going to take care of this House, like our own, together with colleagues from Norway and Belarus. We will do our best to turn it into a real island of freedom and civic dialogue for Belarusian people in a traditionally tolerant environment of Vilnius city", - say the new stakeholders of the House.
