As of 15 June 2025, at least 159 cultural figures, including 37 writers, were not free – imprisoned or in home confinement.
Non-fiction author Cina Pałynskaja and her daughter, Belarus State University student Marho Rabinovič, are facing criminal charges and are being held in pre-trial detention centre No. 2 in Viciebsk.
Former publisher Vadzim Pažyviłka was sentenced to home confinement.
Artist and activist Vijaleta Majšuk from Pietrykaŭ had a new charge of “insulting the president” added to her in-absentia case.
Blogger, photographer, and cultural manager Anton Matolka was sentenced in absentia to 20 years in prison and a fine.
Musician Alaksandr Chichiel from Miadzieł was detained.
I. Criminal prosecution of cultural figures, authors, and performers
1. On 3 June, the Hrodna Regional Court sentenced blogger, photographer, and cultural manager Anton Matolka in absentia to 20 years in prison and a fine of 2,000 base units (84,000 BYN or approximately 25,670 USD). He was charged under 14 articles of the Criminal Code, including “state treason”. The trial began on 14 December 2024.
2. On 8 June, reports emerged indicating that Cina Pałynskaja, a writer of non-fiction, and her daughter Marho Rabinovič, who is a student at Belarus State University, are currently facing criminal charges and are held in pre-trial detention centre No. 2 in Viciebsk. Communication with Cina Pałynskaja had stopped on 19 May 2025.
Human rights defenders believe that Pałynskaja and Rabinovič are being prosecuted for their participation in sociological surveys conducted by the Belarusian Analytical Workroom, which the KGB designated as an “extremist organisation” on 16 May 2025 (the decision was published on 21 May). Pałynskaja is known for writing family history books and researching documents in archives across Belarus and other post-Soviet countries. Her public writings reflect a humanistic and anti-war stance. In June 2022, she was fined 3,200 BYN (approx. 1,230 USD) for displaying ribbons in the colours of the Ukrainian flag, and the Investigative Committee launched proceedings over her anti-war posts on Facebook.
On 5 June 2022, police searched her apartment. In 2023, her younger daughter was temporarily placed in a social shelter. On 6 June 2025, Cina Pałynskaja and her elder daughter Marho Rabinovič were recognised as political prisoners.
3. On 6 June, it was reported that the Minsk City Court sentenced former publisher Vadzim Pažyviłka to home confinement (restriction of freedom without placement in a correctional facility) under Article 361-2 of the Criminal Code (financing extremist activity).
Vadzim Pažyviłka, the husband of writer Jaŭhienija Pastarnak and a physicist by education, was the director of publishing houses specialising in children’s and popular science literature.
4. On 8 June, reports emerged that artist and activist Vijaleta Majšuk from Pietrykaŭ had a new charge added to her in-absentia case under Part 1 of Article 368 of the Criminal Code (insulting the president). On 3 August 2024, the Investigative Committee launched special proceedings against her under Part 1 of Article 361-1 (creating an extremist formation). Vijaleta Majšuk has lived outside Belarus since 2020.
5. On 12 June, activist and cultural promoter Nina Bahinskaja filed an appeal with the Minsk City Court’s judicial panel against a previous court ruling. On 11 June, Bahinskaja received a court order by mail stating that everything the police confiscated during detention must be destroyed. She is demanding the return of her handmade badges and flags, which she considers her creative property.
On 30 May, a trial was held in Minsk’s Peršamajski District Court against 78-year-old Bahinskaja under Article 342-2 of the Criminal Code (repeated violation of the procedure for organising or holding mass events) due to her display of national symbols on the streets of Minsk in 2024. The charges were based on a series of administrative offence reports and court rulings from 2024, all related to the use of national symbols. One report was issued over a T-shirt with the slogan: “No to war!”
Bahinskaja was found guilty of repeated violations of the law on mass events, but the court applied Article 79 of the Criminal Code (conviction without sentencing) and imposed “preventive supervision”.
II. Administrative persecution
On 4 June, musician Alaksandr Chichiel from Miadzieł was detained. State media channels on Telegram claimed that Chichiel allegedly “sang foolish songs against the special military operation (SMO), against our government, against Russia, and Victory Day”. Pro-Russian activist Volha Bondarava stated, citing her sources, that Chichiel was held accountable for “creating and distributing extremist content”.
III. Repression in the publishing sector and book bans
On 3 June, reports emerged that the Babrujsk City and Babrujsk District Court designated a book titled after a quote by Alaksandr Łukašenka — An idiot, a real one (2001) — as “extremist”.
The book is a collection of satirical works in various genres, all focused on Łukašenka.
IV. Repression in the musical sphere
On 10 June, the YouTube channel of musician Alaksandr Chichiel from Miadzieł was declared “extremist” after his detention for performing anti-war songs, following a report by pro-Russian activist Bondarava. After Chichiel’s arrest, his YouTube channel (49,000 subscribers) was deleted.