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Hello from BIRCH
Hello there!
We are Alexandra Ronkina & Julia Sergeeva. For the past four years we were part of Malmö Against the War, a community that supports Ukraine and works to keep awareness about political prisoners in Russia.
It was important work for us, and it was also, if we are honest, beautifully chaotic work: the kind of activism that runs on urgency and goodwill but not always on structure or strategy.
At some point, looking at the scale of what we were trying to address, both of us decided that something more focused was needed.
So we are building a new NGO called BIRCH – Bright Initiative for Rights, Care & Humanity. Our organization is supporting political prisoners in authoritarian states.
Why political prisoners and why now?
The honest answer is that the numbers make it very hard to look away. According to OVD-Info, around 4,100 people in Russia are currently subject to politically motivated prosecution, with nearly half of them, over 1,800 people, in custody. A significant part of were detained for their anti-war position, for expressing support for Ukraine or for even the smallest donation to a Ukrainian organisation.
Russia is not the exception here, it is part of a much broader pattern. Authoritarian regimes including Belarus, China, Cuba, Egypt, Iran, Myanmar and Venezuela have engaged in systematic imprisonment of independent voices.
Iran executed over 900 people in 2024, including dozens of women, and in 2025 alone at least 48 children under the age of 18 were detained by Iranian state institutions.
Meanwhile, the broader political context is not moving in a reassuring direction. According to International IDEA's 2025 report, 2024 marked the ninth consecutive year in which more countries experienced democratic decline than improvement, with 54% of the 173 countries assessed deteriorating in at least one area of democratic performance.
The numbers behind the cause
The scale of political imprisonment worldwide is vast. Here are the figures behind the work we do.
4,100
People subject to politically motivated prosecution in Russia (OVD-Info)
1,180+
Political prisoners in Belarus(Viasna Human Rights Center)
1,639
People executed in Iran 2025,(Iran Human Rights & Together Against the Death Penalty)
1,150+
Political prisoners in Cuba
(Prisoners Defenders)
WHAT
BIRCH brings people together through community initiatives and public events to raise funds for political prisoners held in authoritarian states: people locked away for what they believe, for what they said, for who they are.
WHY
Across the world, authoritarian regimes imprison people for their beliefs or political actions. Russia, Iran, Belarus, China, Cuba, Egypt, Iran, Myanmar and Venezuela and others have engaged in the systematic imprisonment of independent voices, and the scale of it is hard to look away from.
HOW
The money we raise helps cover legal costs and basic everyday needs for food, medicine, and family support. We take the security of the people we support seriously. Every transfer goes through verified legal and humanitarian partners: organizations we know and trust.
Join us
BIRCH is in its first year, and we are building the foundation: the partnerships, the networks, and the events that will carry this work forward. There are two ways to get involved: as a board member or as a volunteer.Board members help shape the direction of the organization, bring their expertise to our partnerships, and share responsibility for making BIRCH sustainable over time.Volunteers make everything happen: coordinating events, reaching out to communities, and helping us tell the stories that matter.
What we are working on
Our first year is about laying the groundwork: registering BIRCH as an official NGO, building partnerships with established organizations, and running joint events. We are looking to connect with NGOs and civil society organizations working at the intersection of human rights and communities: diaspora groups, climate activists, queer organizations, youth movements. If you work in program management, fundraising, or organizational development, or trying to build something within the civil society - we'd like to hear from you!
"Do your little bit of good where you are. It is those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world."
Desmond Tutu
Meet our team
Alexandra Ronkina
Co-founder
Alexandra is one of the co-founders of BIRCH. She has spent years working across the NGO landscape in Sweden and the Nordic region as a grantmaker, project lead, board member and advisor, and has been both on the giving and receiving side of funding. Having seen civil society from multiple angles, she brings a clear understanding of both how organisations operate and the political realities that shape the work.
Julia Sergeeva
Co-founder
Julia is one of the co-founders of BIRCH. When Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, she began organising humanitarian aid collection for Ukraine and has been active in civil society ever since. She has over ten years of experience in digital marketing, most recently as a founder of a marketing agency.
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