Chronicle of human rights violations in the sphere of culture (1-15 September 2026)

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As of 15 September 2026, at least 127 cultural figures, including at least 22 writers, were either imprisoned or under home confinement. The number of banned books reached 378.

The head of the Pamiać Ajčyny association, Ihar Svirydzienka, was convicted in a politically motivated criminal case.

Lawyer and musician Dzmitryj Łajeŭski was sentenced to three years in prison in a politically motivated criminal case.

An sentence in absentia was handed down in the politically motivated criminal case against Kaciaryna Mankievič, vocalist of the band Dymna Lotva.

A sentence was handed down in the case against the Skład Butelek art space in Barysaŭ.

Promoters of Belarusian culture Siarhiej Sałaš and Dzmitryj Babicki were each sentenced to five years in prison and a substantial fine.

The following books were designated as “extremist materials”: Viartańnie na Radzimu (Return to the Homeland) by Anatol Sanacienka (Minsk: Halijafy, 2016); Niabiesny Lon (Heavenly Flax) by Anatol Varšaŭski (published on Kamunikat.org, 2024); and Noa (Noa) by Marc Levy (Moscow: Inostranka, Azbuka-Atticus, 2023).

The website of the cultural foundation and literary publishing house Kolegium Europy Wschodniej was designated as “extremist”.

The Facebook accounts of journalists and non-fiction authors Kaciaryna Andrejeva and Jury Drakachrust were designated as “extremist”.

I. Criminal prosecution of cultural figures, authors, and performers

1. On 4 September, it became known that Ihar Svirydzienka, head of the Pamiać Ajčyny association, had been convicted in a politically motivated case under Article 361-4 of the Criminal Code (facilitating extremist activities). In 2025, authorities detained him and his wife, Alena Svirydzienka. Pamiać Ajčyny was involved in searching for the remains of victims of World War II and Stalinist repression. The association was dissolved in March 2023.

2. On 9 September, the Minsk City Court sentenced lawyer and musician Dzmitryj Łajeŭski to three years’ imprisonment in a politically motivated case under Article 361-4 of the Criminal Code (facilitating extremist activities) and Article 369-1 (discrediting the Republic of Belarus). The charges stemmed from interviews he had given to independent media outlets. Authorities initiated criminal proceedings against Łajeŭski in August 2025. In 2020–2021, he represented politician Viktar Babaryka, and lawyer and writer Maksim Znak. In 2011–2012, he represented human rights defender and writer Aleś Bialacki. Łajeŭski played in the Minsk band Kałaryt Kulmana and, more recently, occasionally performed with a jazz cover band.

3. On 11 September, it became known that an in-absentia sentence had been handed down in the politically motivated case against Kaciaryna Mankievič, vocalist of the band Dymna Lotva. She was prosecuted under Part 1 of Article 289-1 of the Criminal Code (propaganda of terrorism), Part 1 of Article 290-1 (financing terrorist activities), Parts 1 and 2 of Article 361-4 (facilitating extremist activities), Article 366-1 (threat of violence against the President), and Part 1 of Article 368 (insulting the President).

4. On 14 September, a sentence was handed down in the case against the Skład butelek art space in Barysaŭ. Promoters of Belarusian culture Siarhiej Sałaš and Dzmitryj Babicki were each sentenced to five years’ imprisonment in a medium-security penal colony and fined 800 base units (BYN 36,000, approximately USD 11,872).

II. Banned books

1. On 1 September 2026, the Leninski District Court of Mahiloŭ designated two more books as “extremist materials”: Viartańnie na Radzimu (Return to the Homeland) by Anatol Sanacienka (Minsk: Halijafy, 2016) and Niabiesny Lion (Heavenly Flax) by Anatol Varšaŭski (published on Kamunikat.org, 2024).

Anatol Sanacienka is a poet, prose writer, playwright, translator and editor. Return to the Homeland is his first book in Belarusian. It deals with “the homeland, women and love”, the author’s journey towards Belarusian language and identity, and includes translations from Guillaume Apollinaire, whose grandfather and mother came from Belarus. Anatol Varšaŭski is a Belarusian poet and translator who lived and worked in Belarus in the 1990s and 2000s.

2. On 7 September 2026, the Centralny District Court of Minsk designated the book Noa by Marc Levy (Moscow: Inostranka, Azbuka-Atticus, 2023) as “extremist material”. It is the final instalment of the trilogy about Group 9, a team of hackers who expose corruption and crimes committed by powerful individuals. The plot centres on an authoritarian state, political prisoners and an attempt to free an opposition figure. Part of the story takes place in Belarus, with recognisable settings including Minsk and Akrescina.

III. Cultural foundations designated as “extremist”

On 7 September 2026, the Leninski District Court of Brest designated the website of the cultural foundation and literary publishing house Kolegium Europy Wschodniej as “extremist”. The foundation’s mission is to promote knowledge about international relations and the culture of Eastern Europe.

IV. Cultural figures’ social media designated as “extremist”

1. On 4 September 2026, the Hłusk District Court of the Mahilioŭ Region designated the Facebook account “Catarina Andreeva”, belonging to journalist and non-fiction author Kaciaryna Andrejeva, as “extremist”.

2. On 4 September 2026, the Hłusk District Court of the Mahilioŭ Region designated the Facebook account “Yury Drakakhrust”, belonging to journalist and non-fiction author Jury Drakachrust, as “extremist”.

V. Transnational repression

Police carried out a search at the home of exiled activist and artist Ihar Klaščuk’s mother.

Disclaimer: Belarusian personal names and proper names

Personal names

Personal names and surnames in this text are rendered using the traditional Belarusian Latin alphabet Łacinka. We also provide their equivalents according to the current Instruction on the Transliteration of Surnames and Given Names of Citizens of the Republic of Belarus. Where direct access to official identity documents is unavailable, the transliterated forms of names may differ from the spellings used in official passport records.

Toponyms

Geographical names in this text are rendered using the traditional Belarusian Latin alphabet Łacinka. We also provide their equivalents according to the current Instruction on Rendering the Names of Geographical Features from Belarusian and Russian into Other Languages and on Transliteration of the Names of Geographical Features into the Latin Alphabet.

Proper names of organisations, projects, etc. 

The names of Belarusian organisations, projects and similar entities in this text are rendered using the traditional Belarusian Latin alphabet Łacinka.