HAS officially ceases to exist

The association created to provide rapid assistance will be reformatted into another platform.

In practice, the coalition of the Humanitarian Ambulance Service (HAS) ceased to function as a coalition more than half a year ago.

After a number of facts that came to light within the work of ByHelp, it became clear that the goals of creating and participating in the coalition of organizations differed significantly among some of the participants. We had to endure this prolonged pause in order to obtain indisputable evidence of security and transparency violations in the work of ByHelp.

And while we were waiting for the results of the investigation carried out by the Norwegian Helsinki Committee within the framework of the International Humanitarian Fund, analyzing the consequences and working on improving internal processes, a new development occurred: Belarusian civil society was confronted with shocking cases of harassment by another member of our coalition — a key figure of BYSOL. Again, we waited for the conclusion of the investigation that BYSOL had committed to conduct regarding Andrei Stryzhak.

We assumed that the only correct decision for the organization would be to end cooperation with him. Nevertheless, the entire investigation process remained hidden from us, despite our repeated offers to participate as independent observers in order to restore trust. The final factor that made professional relations with BYSOL impossible was the way the decision was made following the investigation and the continuation of the organization’s cooperation with Andrei Strizhak.

It can be said with certainty that over the past six months we have gone through numerous difficult communications and made a number of principled decisions. But now we see that the saying “everything happens for the best” is absolutely true. The violations in the work of ByHelp that cost several people their freedom have been revealed. The gross violations of ethics and principles of humanitarian aid that created an unsafe environment for women on the part of Andrei Stryzhak have been exposed. We have drawn our conclusions and are moving forward, confident that the community is capable of overcoming its own illnesses.

We see no possibilities for continuing cooperation with ByHelp and BYSOL either within the coalition or within our individual organizations, and therefore we declare that the coalition of the Humanitarian Ambulance Service (HAS) ceases to exist. Our information resource will be transformed into an open space for humanitarian and human rights organizations, within which we will be able to establish interaction and coordinate efforts to provide aid and support to Belarusian political prisoners as well as all those affected by the repressions of the Lukashenko regime.