Dear Members & Friends
1° Middle East
March has been devastating for this region on many levels, but even more so for our movement with the terrible loss of our dear comrade Juergen, head of our small permanent team in the Gulf. Juergen,who had been working with Vivere since 2008 rescuing victims of human trafficking, was taken by a heart attack on March 13th. His dedication to the work was such that on many occasions over the years he came close to complete exhaustion. He would then recover his strength and valiantly dive back into the physically and mentally demanding turbulent currents of a demanding job. A few days before his death he told us that while driving he felt it was a lottery as to whether he would be hit by a drone or not. His passing, combined with the chaos that the state of war inflicts on several countries in the region, considerably weakens our entire local relief operation.
No to the war!
At Vivere we can only condemn this resort to arms as a means to resolve a dispute between ruling regimes.
Our Update of 15 th February set out our position regarding Washington (“The Trump administration is veering towards an era of setbacks and dangers for human rights”).
On several occasions in the past we have raised the alarm about the intolerable repression exercised by the Iranian regime against its own people.
But it is of course not enough simply to declare both sides equally at fault and then turn our backs on this tragic state of affairs. We feel that the stance taken by Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez showed an analysis and a composure that were not only correct but also exemplary — and courageous: he was the only European leader who stood up, as early as March 4th, to clearly say “no to the war,” responding to the American president who had criticised Spain for its refusal to allow Washington to use Spanish military bases to strike Iran.
A few excerpts from Pedro Sánchez’s address:
“… Nobody knows for certain what will happen now. Even the objectives of those who launched the first attack are unclear.
… The world, Europe and Spain have been through this before. Twenty-three years ago, another American administration dragged us into a war in the Middle East. A war that, in theory, was supposed to eliminate Saddam Hussein’s weapons of mass destruction, establish democracy and guarantee global security, but which, in reality, with hindsight, produced the opposite effect. It triggered the greatest wave of insecurity our continent had seen since the fall of the Berlin Wall.
… The war in Iraq led to a drastic increase in jihadist terrorism, a serious migration crisis in the eastern Mediterranean, and a widespread rise in energy prices and, consequently, in the cost of everyday goods and the cost of living. A more dangerous world and a worse life.
… And it is absolutely unacceptable that leaders who are incapable of fulfilling that mission use the smoke of war to mask their failure and, in the process, fill the pockets of a handful of people — the same ones as always. They are the only ones who win when the world stops building hospitals in order to build missiles.
… And we will continue to work toward a just and lasting peace in Ukraine and Palestine, two places that deserve not to be forgotten.
… I have said it many times and I repeat it today: you cannot respond to one illegality with another, because that is how humanity’s great catastrophes begin.
… The question is not whether we are or are not in favour of the ayatollahs. Nobody is.”
2° Syria
“More than a year after the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime, the international community must help Syrians recover from decades of anarchy and carry out a fragile transition, UN investigators urged on Friday.” (13.03.2026, UN INFO)
“Syrian survivors and affected communities deserve justice, reparation and guarantees of non-repetition,” said Commissioner Fionnuala Ní Aoláin.
Last March, government armed forces — acting in concert with private individuals — killed more than 1,400 people, the majority of them Alawite civilians, in the governorates of Latakia, Tartous, Homs and Hama. https://news.un.org/fr/story/2026/03/1158555
This dramatic reality, reported in UN communiqués, is the one lived by the population supported by our work, where intercommunal violence persists.
During the month of February, our friends report once again that two fathers, previously civil servants, were dismissed because they belonged to the Alawite community.
In February, 13 new babies were added to those already being cared for, bringing the total to 45 infants receiving nutritional supplements. Among the new arrivals, 8 families are subletting small houses and one is being hosted by extended family; 5 families have arrived from other parts of the country.
Since the start of our work in Syria in 2014, 2,039 infants have been supported, including 218 in 2025.
3° War crimes in Ukraine
Our lawyer and great friend Gennady reports:
“We have a new criminal case concerning the rape and torture of a young woman, Irina, in a prison where torture is practised, by two Russian soldiers.
Let me tell you her story. On August 16th 2022, Irina, 46 years old, was arrested by Russian soldiers near her home in the occupied city of Izyum, suspected of collaborating with the Ukrainian army. Her home was searched, a bag was placed over her head and sealed with adhesive tape, and she was taken to Izyum prison, where she was tortured. For five days she was subjected to electric shocks: electrodes were attached to her ankles and she was beaten. Her entire body was bruised and her ankles were severely burned by the shocks.
For the first five days she received neither food nor water. She was then transferred to another prison. There, two soldiers raped her throughout a week, two or three times a day. After a week she began to bleed.
In the meantime, the Ukrainian army was already approaching the city. Irina and another man, who was being held in a neighbouring building, were taken out of the city in a truck and driven to an unknown destination, which she later understood to be a place of execution. She was tied up and left lying in the grass in a field with orders not to move. The car carrying the man drove by her and then she heard gunshots. She understood that the man had been shot and that she would be next. Irina fled, crawling through the thick grass of the field. The car came back and they began to search for her, but at that moment Ukrainian army bombardments began, and the car drove away. Then the Ukrainian army entered the city, and she immediately left for Poland with her daughter. She has been living and working in Poland ever since and at first didn’t try to get any psychological help. However, without the subsequent help of a psychologist in Poland, she would have had a nervous breakdown. This made her realise she needed to return to Ukraine. She arrived and was placed in a rehabilitation centre. She now receives support from a psychologist and doctors.
The prosecution is requesting my participation in the case, and Irina herself has asked me to be her lawyer; she heard about my work from other victims. I’m beginning to become well known…”
How Russia deported and indoctrinated thousands of Ukrainian children:
Russia has deported thousands of Ukrainian children and teenagers since the start of its offensive in February 2022. Tracing them is an obstacle-strewn journey. Only a minority have returned home after being abducted and indoctrinated. Testimonies on RTS.ch: https://www.rts.ch/info/monde/2026/article/la-russie-deporte-et-endoctrine-des-milliers-d-enfants-ukrainiens-29158673.html
Among the 26 war crimes cases we have been pursuing since the start of the war is that of a child, M., from Kupyansk, abducted by Russian soldiers who had just machine-gunned his parents and little sister to death. Together with the Ukrainian authorities we had tracked the boy to Belgorod (Russia) before losing trace of him again. Our search continues.
4° Aid to Ukrainian Refugees
Montenegro:
From September to December last year, sixty-four people (25 adults and 39 children) received food assistance. Places of origin: Dnipro, Kharkiv, Odessa, Marianka, Kramatorsk, Mykolaiv, Zaporizhzhia, Kryvyi Rih, Irpin, Sumy, Mariupol, Kyiv, and Kherson.
Average cost per person: CHF 13.75 (€14.77).
Poland:
In October 2025, ninety-eight people (30 women and 68 children) received food, clothing, hygiene products and medicine. Places of origin: Odessa, Kharkiv, Kyiv, Rivne, Kherson, Sumy, Chernihiv, Irpin, Ternopil, Donetsk.
Average cost: CHF 6.18 (€6.75).
Kharkiv region, for internally displaced persons in the east of the country:
Expenditure for the recent period of three months amounted to 35,011 hryvnias for 45 people, an average of CHF 14.04 per person (€15.37).
5° Pakistan: Protection of Trans People with our partner organisation Khawajasira Panahgah (KPG)
The Transgender Day of Remembrance takes place on November 20th each year worldwide, to commemorate trans people who have died as a result of transphobia — that is, hatred of trans people — and to draw attention to the violence suffered by trans communities. Our partner organisation organised a quiet celebration of this event.
Vivere renewed its support for this courageous team this year with a grant of CHF 2,830 (€3,098), enabling KPG in particular to expand the shelter’s premises. Sonia writes: “Thanks to a more spacious shelter, yes, we plan to increase the number of residents we accommodate, as the needs keep growing. Thanks to your support and our sincere efforts, two new older transgender members have already joined our shelter. They truly deserve this support, as they were homeless and defenceless, with nowhere else safe to go.
Furthermore, when transgender people coming from outside the city travel to L… for urgent personal, medical or legal reasons, we often face a shortage of space. Despite this, we do our best to take them in, as they generally cannot afford to pay for a hotel or for food. We therefore provide them with free accommodation and meals during their stay.”
6° Vivere’s next General Assembly
Please check your availability for our annual General Assembly, which is scheduled for Thursday May 21st at 6:30 pm. It will, once again, be held at the International School of Lausanne. Your presence is very much needed and appreciated, since we will be voting on Vivere’s governance and main priorities for the coming year. As always, our AGM also warmly welcomes anyone who is interested, whether a member or not, to take part in the discussions. Everybody is welcome!
With warm regards,
The Vivere Committee