PEN Belarus, along with the human rights and cultural community, strongly condemns the current large-scale repression targeting independent publishers, book distributors, and cultural organisations in Belarus. These actions clearly aim to dismantle the Belarusian publishing infrastructure and criminalise legitimate cultural activities.
In February–March 2026, a new wave of persecution occurred. Over twenty cases of detention or pressure affected those in the book sector, including literary organisations and publishing houses. Simultaneously, the state weaponised anti-extremism legislation and pursued transnational repression to stifle Belarusian culture and literature, targeting all dissent.
Among the publicly known facts from this period:
On 16 February, the website and social media accounts of PEN Belarus — a human rights and cultural organisation registered and operating legally in Poland — were declared “extremist materials” [1].
On 16 February, the State Security Committee (KGB) designated the publishing house Gutenberg Publisher, registered and operating legally in Poland, as an “extremist formation” [2].
On 17 February, security forces conducted a search at the Technalohija publishing house, which had continued operating in Belarus, and confiscated all equipment. The publishing house subsequently suspended its activities.
On 17 February, at least ten individuals were detained. Some of them were sentenced to 14–15 days of administrative arrest, including Vacłaŭ Bahdanovič, director of Technalohija; translator and former publisher Zmicier Kołas; and book distributor Aleś Jaŭdacha [3].
Other, non-public cases of persecution are also known.
There are urgent indications that detainees have been tortured and beaten, demanding immediate intervention.
On 27 February, the KGB designated PEN Belarus, a human rights and cultural organisation, as an “extremist formation” [4].
On 3 March, the KGB designated a so-called “coalition of publishing houses and book distributors” as an “extremist formation”. Such a coalition does not exist; it was fabricated as a pretext for persecution. The “coalition” included well-known publishers: Kamunikat.org Foundation (registered and operating legally in Poland), Lohvinau Publishing House, and Andrei Yanushkevich Publishing (both registered and operating legally in Poland). The list of individuals allegedly associated with this so-called formation includes Jarosław Iwaniuk (a Polish citizen), Andrej Januškievič, Ihar Łohvinaŭ, as well as Zmicier Kołas, Vacłaŭ Bahdanovič, and Aleś Jaŭdacha, who are currently serving administrative arrest. This development places them at real risk of criminal prosecution. The human rights community has recognised Zmicier Kołas, Vacłaŭ Bahdanovič, and Aleś Jaŭdacha as political prisoners [5].
PEN Belarus regards these acts as a systematic policy to quash dissent. They constitute ethnocide, erasing Belarus’s independent cultural life. By branding independent publishers and distributors as “extremists,” authorities criminalise the Belarusian-language book cycle. These actions expose the deliberate, sweeping, and abusive use of anti-extremism laws against advocates of human rights and national culture.
The creation of legal fictions such as the “coalition of publishers and distributors” demonstrates the use of methods reminiscent of a totalitarian past. The artificial grouping of independent actors into an alleged “criminal structure” serves to fabricate criminal cases under extremism-related provisions.
The relentless persecution of publishing houses and cultural organisations imperils not only individuals and initiatives, but the very fabric of society’s access to books, knowledge, language, cultural memory, and open intellectual exchange. These alarming acts breed fear, compel self-censorship, shatter vital professional networks, and rapidly erode independent culture.
These measures directly violate the Constitution of the Republic of Belarus. Article 33 of the Constitution guarantees freedom of expression, and Article 51 guarantees the right to participate in cultural life. These actions also contradict international standards—specifically, Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which provides for freedom of expression; Article 15 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, which protects participation in cultural life; and Articles 2, 7, and 11 of the UNESCO Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions (2005), which outline the rights of individuals and organisations to create, produce, and disseminate cultural expressions, as well as recognise the role of civil society in cultural life.
These actions are transnational repression. They aim to intimidate and limit the work of cultural figures and organisations forced to continue their work abroad.
Labelling peaceful cultural and human rights work as “extremist” does not serve public security. This practice arbitrarily criminalises lawful activity and misuses anti-extremism laws to suppress freedom of expression, association, and cultural participation.
We urgently declare our full solidarity with all book industry figures facing arrest or persecution. These independent publishers, translators, and distributors are vital to preserving Belarusian literary and intellectual heritage, which is under immediate threat.
We demand that the authorities of Belarus:
- Immediately cease the systematic persecution of the book sector, cultural initiatives, and cultural figures.
- Immediately release all those unlawfully detained.
- End the practice of fabricating grounds for persecution of professional cultural activity.
- Revoke unlawful decisions designating publishers, book distributors, and PEN Belarus as “extremist formations”.
We also appeal to the international community, human rights and cultural institutions, governments, the UN Special Rapporteur in the field of cultural rights, the UN Special Rapporteur on Belarus, and UNESCO to support these demands and to publicly condemn these violations of cultural rights:
- Demand that the authorities of Belarus immediately release detainees and reverse all unlawful rulings without hesitation.
- Demonstrate active solidarity with Belarusian publishers, including by expanding support opportunities for cultural projects.
- Continue to apply strong pressure on the Belarusian authorities to ensure prompt compliance with their international human rights obligations.
- Monitor the situation of cultural rights in Belarus.
We urge the international community to move past symbolism and deliver a persistent, public condemnation of these abuses of anti-extremism laws and the systematic effort to erase independent Belarusian culture.
Additional information
For more on PEN Belarus’s work and the cultural and human rights context, follow the link.
This statement is endorsed by:
PEN Belarus
Legal Initiative
Human Constanta
Human Rights Center Viasna
Lawtrend
Belarusian Association of Journalists
Belarusian Helsinki Committee
Barys Zvozskau Belarusian Human Rights House
Tutejšy Theatre
Tutaka Foundation
Belarusian Council for Culture
Civic Cultural Campaign “Budźma Belarusami!”
Dom Tvorcau Foundation
Association Czabor
Krystsina Drobysh, audiobook publisher
Belarusische Gemeinschaft Razam e. V.
Razamkunst
Publisher Sviedki
Gutenberg Publisher
hochroth Minsk
Foundation RozUM Media
Foundation Kamunikat.org
Skaryna Press
Grunwald Publishing
To join this statement, email [email protected] and state the organisation you represent.
[1] https://penbelarus.org/2026/02/23/sajt-i-staronki-u-saczsetkah-belaruskaga-pena-abveshchanyya-ekstremisczkimi.html
[2] https://penbelarus.org/2026/03/02/hronika-parushennyau-pravou-chalaveka-u-sfery-kultury-15-28-lyutaga-2026-goda.html
[3] https://penbelarus.org/2026/03/02/hronika-parushennyau-pravou-chalaveka-u-sfery-kultury-15-28-lyutaga-2026-goda.html
[4] https://penbelarus.org/2026/03/04/belaruski-pen-pryznany-ekstremisczkim-farmavannem.html
[5] https://spring96.org/be/news/119818