On Friday, August 25, 2023, the head of the human rights organization Our House, Olga Karach, was issued a humanitarian residence permit in Lithuania. By the way, the communication that Olga could receive it, arrived just half an hour before the end of the migration office’s working hours. Nevertheless, she managed to get the document on the same day.

It is a regular humanitarian residence permit issued for the term of one year. So, now, during the next year, Olga can peacefully live in Lithuania and move freely within the territory of the European Union.

However, it followed a quite dramatic story. Olga filed her documents and application for a political asylum as far back as on September 1, 2022, and her first interview with the migration office took place on September 6 of the same year. By January 2023, it became clear, that all the terms of processing the application had expired, therefore, in summer 2023 the head of Our House filed a lawsuit against the Migration Department for violation of the Lithuanian legislation. According to the Lithuanian law, only six months are allowed for the consideration of a political asylum application.

In the morning of August, 18, Olga was summoned to the Migration Department, where she was handed a document denying her the political asylum on the basis that she can present a threat to the national security of the Republic of Lithuania. However, no real facts supported that claim, so now the authors will have to defend their point of view in court.

Apparently, understanding that their situation in this case is highly vulnerable and unsubstantiated, the authorities of Lithuania launched a hate campaign against Olga Karach on the mass media, having condemned her without trial and accusing her of all possible sins.

Nevertheless, that epic is not over yet. Now, Olga Karach is planning to fight in court to get the political asylum in Lithuania.

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