Belarusian human rights defenders raise voices in support of Voronezh human rights house

The Voronezh Human Rights House has been located in Tyuryupa Street, 34 for more than 20 years, housing the oldest civic and human rights organizations in the region. This House is well-known in Russia and abroad as one of the largest Russian centers of civic activities, education and youth initiatives.

One of the founding organizations of the Human Rights House is the Free Labor Confederation. In 1995 the FLC and the Inter-regional Human Rights Group established a Civic reception room which continues working and accepts more than 1,000 visitors a year. The reception room has a record number of won cases from the Voronezh region in the European Court on Human Rights.

On 17 May 2013 FLC received a letter from the Municipal Property Board, informing it about the cancellation of the rent agreement and demanding to vacate the occupied premises within 3-day term.

This will mean the shutdown of the Civic Reception Room with a long history and public popularity. Eviction from the house will also endanger the functioning of a number of youth organizations who were provided with legal addresses by the FLC. Most of them have been working on the volunteer basis for a long time already and don't have any stable sources of income.

Belarusian human rights defenders and civic activists filed a letter to the Voronezh officials, asking to save the office and put no obstacles to the professional activities of their colleagues. Everyone can show their solidarity!