Important! On BYSOL Legal Entities in Poland and the United States

The organizations BYSOL PL FOUNDATION (Poland) and BYSOL USA International Foundation (United States), previously registered for the purposes of BYSOL’s strategic development and sustainability, are currently not under the control of the Foundation’s team. They were not transferred to the team and continue to be controlled by the former founder, A. Stryzhak.

Following the crisis related to documented cases of sexualized harassment by A. Stryzhak and the subsequent internal discussions within the organization, a principled decision was made for A. Stryzhak to transfer founder functions in all three BYSOL legal entities — in Lithuania, Poland, and the United States. These agreements were communicated to the team, made public, and formally recorded in the decisions of the Directorate and the Founder.

A. Stryzhak subsequently left the BYSOL team. After that, the process of transferring founder functions in the Lithuanian legal entity was completed.

However, later on, contrary to the agreements reached and the decisions adopted by the Directorate and the Founder of the BYSOL Foundation (at that time A. Stryzhak), he refused to transfer control over the BYSOL legal entities in Poland and the United States to the Foundation’s team. He justified his refusal by stating his intention to start his own activities and to rename these organizations, referring to the fact that he had “changed his decision” and did not have the financial means to register new legal entities.

We proposed to compensate A. Stryzhak for the costs of registering his new legal entity in Poland; however, he refused and stated that he had initiated the process of renaming the existing Polish organization.

It is important for us to emphasize that the BYSOL legal entities in Poland and the United States were established as part of the organization’s strategic development and to enhance its sustainability and effectiveness. The ability to operate in these jurisdictions remains fundamentally important to us. Today, Poland is increasingly becoming a second home for former political prisoners, and the presence of an organization within the Polish jurisdiction significantly simplifies the provision of direct assistance to beneficiaries — both from a legal and a financial perspective. In addition, this year the Polish organization marks its second anniversary, which opens up the possibility for us to participate in the 1.5% personal income tax fundraising mechanism for Belarusians in Poland.

We consider A. Stryzhak’s refusal to transfer management of the Polish and U.S. legal entities to be a gross violation of the agreements reached.

We stress that the BYSOL legal entities in the United States and Poland are not the private property of A. Stryzhak. They were created and developed through the efforts of the team, partners, and donors, and their financial expenses were covered by the BYSOL legal entity registered in Lithuania.

The BYSOL Foundation continues to operate within the framework of the Lithuanian legal entity. A. Stryzhak’s actions regarding the Polish and U.S. legal entities have created additional organizational challenges but have not affected day-to-day operations or assistance to people. All programs and areas of the Foundation’s work continue as before.

The BYSOL Team