Donation campaign: Secure our Legal Help service for victims of political persecution
Due to the ongoing widespread persecution in Belarus, transnational repression in exile, and increasingly restrictive migration policies in Germany, our Legal Help team is stretched to the limit. Without further support, we risk having to suspend our counselling service.
The problems faced by politically persecuted people do not end with their departure. Many Belarusians suddenly find themselves facing different, yet equally existential, difficulties in exile: complicated visa procedures, uncertain asylum status, expiring documents, and precarious residency. All this without money, without language skills, and often without knowing what the future holds.
At the same time, the legal situation for Belarusian refugees is becoming increasingly dire: since September 2023, all Republic of Belarus diplomatic missions worldwide have refused to issue, replace, or renew passports and other documents for their nationals abroad. This transnational repression measure affects 26,500 Belarusians in Germany alone.
Added to this are the political prisoners who are being deported to the EU against their will and often without any documents, as well as the de facto abolition of humanitarian visas by the German government. We recently saw an increase in the number of released political prisoners whose passports have suddenly been declared invalid by the regime, too. And last but not least, asylum procedures and the issuance of travel documents for foreign nationals require increasing effort and, in every case, intensive support.
Our resources are exhausted
The result: our Legal Help team is already handling several hundred enquiries a year – this small team of full-time staff and volunteers is reaching its limits. At the same time, funding is becoming increasingly scarce or drying up altogether.
As a consequence, we are increasingly having to pause the acceptance of new cases, scale back our support – and even place urgent cases on a waiting list. To ensure we can maintain the level of essential support for Belarusian victims of political persecution, we rely on your support!
Donate now
Donation account
Beneficiary: Libereco
Bank: Ethikbank
IBAN: DE96 8309 4495 0003 3203 32
BIC: GENO DE F1 ETK
Reference: Legal Help
Since 2020, thousands of Belarusians have risked their freedom to stand up for democracy, human rights, and a life of dignity. Many of them have paid for their determination with years in prison; quite a few have been mistreated or tortured.
We did not leave these people alone in prison, and we will not leave them alone now, immediately after their release!
What your contribution provides
- 50 € — initial consultation for a politically persecuted person in need
- 100 € — creation of a risk profile for the authorities
- 150 € — preparation and submission of one application for asylum, visa or residence permit, including a cover letter
- 250 € — preparation and support throughout a whole asylum procedure
- 500 € — covering fees for a lawyer in an urgent case
What we do
Through Legal Help, LIBERECO currently runs the only service in Germany that provides expert assistance nationwide and online to Belarusian refugees with complex immigration status issues, in their native language. Since 2021, the team has provided free assistance to well over 1,500 politically persecuted Belarusians in Germany and other EU countries with legal issues. We provide support in the native language of our target group when they face problems in their asylum procedure; we help foreign nationals to obtain humanitarian visas, passports and residence permits, and we communicate with authorities. In cases where a lawyer is essential, we have almost always covered the costs of specialist solicitors.
After all, fleeing the Lukashenko regime into exile does not lead to genuine safety as long as those affected remain in an uncertain living situation, as their residence status has not yet been settled.