Statements
Statement on the Systemic Persecution in the Book Sector and the Designation of Literary Organisations as “Extremist Formations”
PEN Belarus, along with the human rights and cultural community, strongly condemns the current large-scale repression...
The statement on the recognition of Zmicier Kołas, Aleś Jaŭdacha, Vacłaŭ Bahdanovič and eight other people as political prisoners
Joint statement by the human rights community of Belarus March 13, 2026 We, the representatives of the Belarusian hum...
Belarus: Statement on the systematic confiscation and destruction of manuscripts by prison authorities
In Belarus, prison authorities systematically confiscate and destroy the literary manuscripts and letters of those im...
The statement on the recognition of Valery Pazniakievič and eight other people as political prisoners
Joint statement by the Belarusian human rights community December 22, 2025 The Belarusian human rights community note...
Statement by the human rights coalition on the forced expulsion from the Republic of Belarus of persons released as a result of pardon
In connection with the intensifying practice of forced expulsion from Belarus of pardoned political prisoners, which ...
Statement by PEN Belarus on the Release of Political Prisoners
14 December 2025: PEN Belarus welcomes the news of the release of 123 political prisoners from Belarusian prisons, wh...
Belarus: UN submission highlights brutal crackdown on cultural rights
30 October 2025 – As the human rights record of Belarus comes under review at the United Nations on 3 November 2025, ...
Belarus: Writers released and forced into exile
‘While we rejoice at the sight of Belarusian writers walking free after experiencing immense suffering, we utterly co...
Statement on the death of political prisoner Andrei Padniabenny behind bars
Joint statement by the human rights community of Belarus As it became known, on September 3, 2025, 36-year-old politi...
Torture and discrimination against women in Belarus: “Legal Initiative” appeals to CEDAW to initiate an investigation
The Belarusian human rights organization Legal Initiative has submitted an official request to the UN Committee on th...
Belarus: Five years of relentless crackdown on cultural rights
‘Belarusian culture, language and identity have come under sustained onslaught over the past five years. It is high t...
Belarus: Four years of arbitrary detention – the crackdown on Viasna members must end
Four years after the detention of Viasna members Ales Bialiatski, Valiantsin Stefanovic and Uladzimir Labkovich, the ...