The Belarusian community RAZAM e.V. is a non-profit association of people from Belarus living in Germany. The association emerged as a result of the 2020–2021 Belarusian protests against the government of Alexander Lukashenko.[3]
Belarusische Gemeinschaft Razam e.V. | |
| Founded | 9 August 2020 |
|---|---|
| Location | |
Membership (2024) | more than 270[1] |
Official language | German, Belarusian |
Chair | Yuliya Salauyova (2024)[2] |
Chair | Maria Rudz (2024)[2] |
Treasurer | Lena Borries (2024)[2] |
| Website | razam.de |
Creation and goals
editThe Belarusian community RAZAM e.V. was officially founded on 9 August 2020, the day of the 2020 Belarusian presidential election, of which the results were considered to have been falsified according to Der Tagesspiegel.[4] As of May 2021[update], it is the biggest group representing the approximately 26,000 Belarusians living in Germany.[5]
The official goals stated by RAZAM e.V. include:[6]
- representation of the interests of the Belarusian diaspora in Germany
- promotion of the Belarusian language and culture
- making Belarus visible to the German and European public
- being a strong lobby for a democratic Belarus
- providing assistance to victims of repression.
Funding
editRAZAM receives funding via donations.[7] Some RAZAM projects are financed by the Federal Foreign Office, the German Marshall Fund of the United States and other funds.[8][9]
Activities
editRAZAM's activities include helping victims of police violence, refugees, and victims of political repression that occurs in Belarus.[10] Families of political prisoners in Belarus are helped by RAZAM with financial support for legal cases[7][10] and moral support such as sending presents to the prisoners' children.[11] Victims of police violence or torture are assisted by RAZAM in getting to Germany for medical treatment.[7]
Within Germany itself, RAZAM helps Belarusian refugees find legal assistance for asylum applications and with donations for families without work permits and ineligible for governmental financial support.[12] RAZAM has also helped Belarusian refugees in Ukraine, in cooperation with the NGO Free Belarus Center based there.[13] During the 2022 full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, RAZAM supported Belarusians fleeing Ukraine[14] including those in Poland.[15]
After the outbreak of the full-scale invasion in February 2022, RAZAM helped to collect relief supplies for Ukraine, opened a storage room in Berlin to provide refugees with clothing and hot meals, and supported mine-clearing teams in Ukraine.[16]
Information distribution and campaigning
editRAZAM disseminates information and communicates with governments in the European Union.[7] In 2021, regional RAZAM groups organised rallies, concerts and art exhibitions in Germany against the Lukashenko government and publicised their view of the situation in Belarus.[17][12]
In August 2020, RAZAM was one of the co-founders of a Germany-based "Belarus Working Group" together with the German-Russian Exchange, the German think tank Zentrum Liberale Moderne, the association "Human Rights in Belarus," the European Exchange, and the German–Belarusian Society.[18]
Awards
editOn 23 May 2023, the Belarusian community RAZAM was awarded the Gustav Heinemann Citizens' Prize of the Social Democratic Party of Germany.[19]
Reaction of the authorities
editIn the summer of 2023, a Belarusian court recognized the pages of the association and its regional groups on Instagram as extremist materials.[20]
References
edit- ^ "Mitglied werden". razam.de. Retrieved 5 January 2024.
- ^ a b c "Vorstand". Razam.de. 2022. Archived from the original on 2022-10-21. Retrieved 19 December 2022.
- ^ "Mehr als eine Solidaritätsgeste". die-kirche.de. 27 January 2021. Retrieved 19 December 2022.
- ^ "Belarus-Aktivisten aus Berlin-Pankow: „Eine Stimmung wie zum Ende der DDR"". Der Tagesspiegel. 9 December 2020. Retrieved 19 December 2022.
- ^ "Exilanten-Sprecherin: "Für viele in Belarus gibt es kein Zurück mehr"". Der Standard. 31 May 2021. Archived from the original on 2023-01-07. Retrieved 19 December 2022.
- ^ "Was uns bewegt". Razam.de. 2022. Archived from the original on 2022-10-13. Retrieved 19 December 2022.
- ^ a b c d "Opposition in Belarus gets a hand from allies in Germany". Deutsche Welle. 31 May 2021. Retrieved 19 December 2022.
- ^ "Europäisches Netzwerk für Belarus". razam.de. Retrieved 24 May 2023.
- ^ "Nothilfe für Geflüchtete aus Belarus und der Ukraine". razam.de. Retrieved 24 May 2023.
- ^ a b "Solidarity from Berlin to Minsk". Berliner Zeitung. 7 August 2021. Retrieved 19 December 2022.
- ^ "Aktion „Weihnachtswunder": Päckchen für Kinder in Belarus". Neue Rottweiler Zeitung. 9 December 2022. Retrieved 19 December 2022.
- ^ a b "One year on: Still fighting for Belarus". Exberliner. 12 August 2021. Retrieved 19 December 2022.
- ^ "Raus aus Belarus". Jungle World. 4 August 2021. Retrieved 19 December 2022.
- ^ ""Das sind auch Menschen aus Belarus, die jetzt zum zweiten Mal fliehen"". Rundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg. 2 March 2022. Archived from the original on 22 December 2022. Retrieved 19 December 2022.
- ^ "Erstunterkünfte für belarusische Geflüchtete in Polen". Razam.de. Retrieved 19 December 2022.
- ^ "Minensuch- und Räumgeräte für die Ukraine". Razam.de. Retrieved 9 January 2023.
- ^ "Signale aus Deutschland gegen Lukaschenko". RedaktionsNetzwerk Deutschland. 27 May 2021. Retrieved 19 December 2022.
- ^ "Belarus muss die Ukraine unterstützen". German-Belarusian Society. 3 March 2022. Retrieved 19 December 2022.
- ^ "REGINE-HILDEBRANDT-PREIS – GUSTAV-HEINEMANN-BÜRGERPREIS – WILHELM-DRÖSCHER-PREIS: DIE PREISTRÄGER:INNEN 2023". spd.de. 17 May 2023. Retrieved 24 May 2023.
- ^ Республиканский список экстремистских материалов
