Belarus Targets Humanitarian Work in Lithuania as “Extremism”

In recent weeks, the Belarusian authorities have intensified their campaign of repression and censorship, culminating in a new wave of court rulings that declared over 23 social media accounts and digital resources associated with the Belarusian human rights organization Our House (Наш Дом) as “extremist materials.”

These decisions are not symbolic — they are instruments of legal persecution & legal harassment with potentially devastating consequences. Individuals who are members of organizations labeled as “extremist,” or who subscribe to resources designated as such, can face up to 7 years in prison under Belarusian law.

A New Phase of Digital Repression

Despite already branding Olga Karach, the director of Our House, as an “extremist” and a “terrorist”, barring her from military service for 17 years, and sentencing her in absentia to 12 years in prison, Belarusian courts continue their efforts to erase her and her colleagues human rights defenders from the public space.
In just three weeks, the judiciary issued five new extremist designations:

• March 13, 2025: Declared her personal Instagram account (olga.karatch) “extremist.”

• March 18, 2025: Added her Facebook profile (with over 20,000 followers) to the extremist list.

• March 24, 2025: Blacklisted the TikTok account @volya.by and the official Instagram page of Our House @oh_by.

• April 2, 2025: Declared the Telegram group “НАШ ДОМ.Комментарии” extremist — simply for being a comment section.

• April 3, 2025: Criminalized even the visual identity and logos of the Telegram chat “Наш-дом-Шуфлядка-чат”, a group offering humanitarian aid to Belarusian, Ukrainian, and Russian refugees in Lithuania.

Belarusian courts are now criminalizing not only content, but entire platforms, logos, phrases — even letters of the Russian alphabet. The phrase “Наш Дом” (Our House), regardless of context, is now effectively banned in Belarus.

Legal Repression = Life in Prison

Each “extremist” designation under Belarusian law carries up to 7 years in prison.

With 23 such designations currently linked to Olga Karach and her work, she faces over 150 years of cumulative sentencing — simply for peaceful civic activism.

And if she is ever arrested, these charges will not be processed simultaneously. Instead, one sentence will follow another. As one term ends, a new case can begin — creating a system of perpetual legal imprisonment. This is not theory — this is how the regime ensures she never leaves prison.

Criminalizing Solidarity

This persecution does not stop with Olga Karach or Our House.

Under Belarusian law, any person who contacts, shares, likes, or comments on content related to Olga Karach or Our House can be charged with extremism.

Solidarity is now a crime.

The Belarusian regime treats Our House like ideological radiation — anyone “exposed” becomes “contaminated” with dangerous ideas: freedom, democracy, human rights, and peace.

Case Study: Dmitry Dudoits — 2 Years for a Comment, Dead One Week Later

In 2020, Dmitry Dudoits, a 43-year-old father of two, posted a comment under a photo on Olga Karach’s Odnoklassniki profile, calling a police officer a “bald scum.”

• He was charged under Article 369 for “insulting a public official”.

• Sentenced to 2 years in an open-type prison (“chemistry” camp).

• Entered custody on 29 December 2021.

• 5 January 2022 — one week later and on Olga Karach’s birthday — he died by suicide under extreme torture and abuse.

• He was later recognized as a political prisoner.

A Broader Pattern of Digital Persecution

From August 2020 to November 2022, different Belarusian human rights organizations documented:

• 2,500+ cases of criminal or administrative charges for online activity

• 558 confirmed prison sentences for social media comments

• An unknown number of unreported cases, as families fear further persecution for “extremist contact”

There is no public data on how many people are imprisoned simply for interacting with Olga Karach or Our House. But we know the number is rising — and the fear is real.

Risk of Deportation from Lithuania

Several Our House activists currently face deportation from Lithuania, despite documented political persecution in Belarus.

If deported, they face immediate arrest, torture, or indefinite imprisonment under Belarus’s extremism laws.

What You Can Do

We urge you — as defenders of democracy and human rights — to take action:

1. Publicly condemn the persecution of human rights defenders of Our House and the criminalization of digital freedom in Belarus.

2. Demand international protection and asylum guarantees for the whole team of Our House — especially those now under threat in Lithuania.