These days, Belarus is presenting its report on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at the United Nations High-Level Political Forum. Belarusian civil society could not remain silent and has prepared an independent coalition report to highlight the real situation in the country.
Within Goal 16: “Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions”, PEN Belarus contributed a chapter titled “Participation in Cultural Life as an Offence”, which reflects the trends of state interference in the cultural sphere.
You can find the full text of the coalition report here.
Participation in Cultural Life as an Offence
SITUATION OVERVIEW
The right to participate in cultural life is specified in Article 51 of the Constitution of the Republic of Belarus. However, since 2020, Belarus has institutionalised a systematic campaign of cultural repression that directly undermines freedom of expression and broader human rights protections for cultural actors. The right to participate in the cultural life index in Belarus dropped from 4.6 in 2019 to 1.4 out of 10 in 2023.
A striking example of the deterioration of this right is the story of the actors of the Yanka Kupala National Academic Theatre in Minsk—in 2020 the Theatre was supposed to celebrate its 100th anniversary. On August 16, 2020, the theatre’s collective signed an open letter to the Belarusian people. «We, the Kupala Theater actors, look with pain at what is happening in our country right now: every night we live as if on a battlefield. We are against terror and violence. We are against death and blood in our country». In it, they demanded criminal proceedings against those who had issued unlawful orders and others involved in the associated crimes. The next day, on August 17, the theatre’s director, Pavel Latushko, was dismissed. This triggered mass protests within the cultural community. In solidarity with their director and in protest against the authorities’ actions following the 2020 elections, over 60 actors and theater workers resigned from the Yanka Kupala Theatre.
The Ministry of Culture of Belarus not only failed to resolve the conflict but also actively contributed to the reprisals against dissenting actors. These artists formed the independent theatre group Volnyja Kupałaŭcy, which mainly stages video performances, as it is was impossible to obtain official permission for public performances. Authorities have also pressured venue administrators who were willing to cooperate with such troupes. Since 2021 Volnyja Kupałaŭcy, a unique independent theatre group, has been operating in exile in Poland. Despite numerous challenges, the theatre group continues to promote Belarusian culture by staging performances that explore themes of freedom, identity, and human rights.
KEY CHANGES SINCE 2022
Since 2022, the Belarusian authorities have been increasingly using anti-extremist legislation to silence peaceful dissent and target critics. The government has weaponized the criminal justice system to persecute dissenting voices. In practice, any activity that deviates from state
ideology and shows elements of dissent may be labelled as «extremism». The UN OHCHR has found that Belarus’s counter-terrorism and anti-extremism legislation is overly broad and used to suppress dissent and restrict access to information.
On 13 February 2024, a court ruled to designate the social media pages of Volnyja Kupałaŭcy as «extremist». As a result, the group’s Facebook, Instagram, SoundCloud pages, YouTube channel, logo, and even email address were labelled «extremist materials». According to Belarusian law, simply forwarding, storing, subscribing to, or liking such content (e.g., watching a recorded performance online) can be punished by a fine of up to €360 or up to 15 days of arrest (Article 19.11 of the Code of Administrative Offences of Belarus). For 2022–2024, the Belarusian authorities labelled as «extremist» not less than 527 materials, including books, cultural resources and social media of cultural workers: 289 in 2024, 182 in 2023, 56 in 2022.
On 13 December 2024, the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Belarus designated Volnyja Kupałaŭcy an «extremist formation». All of the troupe’s activities are now banned on internet platforms within Belarus. The Ministry warned that individuals participating in or sharing information with members of the troupe would be treated as participants in an extremist formation and prosecuted under Articles 361-1 and 361-4 of the Criminal Code of Belarus — facing up to 7 years in prison. This includes actors (as members of the “extremist formation”), viewers (as financiers), and subscribers (as facilitators). In effect, anyone associated with the troupe in any way risks serious imprisonment.
In contrast, on 17 March 2025, the Polish Minister of Culture awarded Volnyja Kupałaŭcy an honorary prize from the Polish Culture Promotion Fund. This recognition underscores the baselessness of the Belarusian authorities’ actions toward the ensemble.
The authorities’ policy not only hinders the realisation of Belarusians’ right to participate in cultural life, but also criminalises the work of cultural actors and citizens. The case of Volnyja Kupałaŭcy is illustrative, but it is far from the only example of cultural rights violations in Belarus. It reflects a broader, deeply troubling trend: since 2020, increasing repression against dissent reveals a grim shift in state policy — from censorship to systematic persecution of ideologically «undesirable» citizens and cultural figures. The Belarusian authorities included at least 266 cultural figures in the «List of citizens of the Republic of Belarus, foreign citizens or stateless persons involved in extremist activities» and 38 in the «List of organisations and individuals involved in terrorist» at the time of writing.
CONSEQUENCES
As a result, the cultural sphere suffers dramatically—both in quality and in scale. Fearing harsh punishment, citizens refrain from engaging in cultural life, are forced to emigrate, or resort to self-censorship. Cultural rights cannot be exercised under state persecution. There
are also clear trends of forced Russification, violations of language rights, and widespread censorship.
RECOMMENDATIONS
For government of Lukashenko:
- Cease harassment and persecution of cultural figures for the legitimate exercise of their human rights, including freedom of expression and artistic freedom.
- Ensure independent, impartial, transparent, and prompt investigations into all allegations of human rights violations. Perpetrators must be brought to justice through fair trial proceedings.
- Take legislative, administrative, and judicial measures to ensure safe conditions for creative activities and cultural projects, and to preserve and develop Belarusian culture within the country.
For the International Community:
- Expand opportunities from international organisations to support cultural projects and initiatives, including those inside Belarus that promote democratic values, and projects in exile. Culture in emigration serves as a unifying force for the Belarusian diaspora. With
many active citizens forced to leave the country, there is strong demand for participation in cultural life and access to cultural products. - Take measures to ensure favourable conditions for Belarusian cultural organisations in exile, including institutional support in new jurisdictions.
- Continue to put pressure on the Belarusian authorities to immediately end the persecution of cultural figures.