{"id":19205,"date":"2025-05-30T05:18:48","date_gmt":"2025-05-30T05:18:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/penbelarus.org\/?p=19205"},"modified":"2025-05-30T17:38:14","modified_gmt":"2025-05-30T17:38:14","slug":"belaruski-pen-gistoryya-svabodnaga-slova-i-kulturnaga-supraczivu","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/penbelarus.org\/en\/2025\/05\/30\/belaruski-pen-gistoryya-svabodnaga-slova-i-kulturnaga-supraczivu.html","title":{"rendered":"PEN Belarus: a history of free expression and cultural resistance"},"content":{"rendered":"

In both Soviet times and modern-day Belarus, freedom of expression has never come easily. It has always required a fight\u2014for the right to speak, to write, to testify. This struggle feels especially urgent today, amid sweeping repression, forced exile, and an ongoing information war. That\u2019s why the mission of PEN Belarus remains as relevant as ever: to unite and protect people of the word from censorship, pressure, and injustice. It calls for constant responsibility, dignity, and faith\u2014in language, in literature, and in humanity.<\/span><\/p>\n

Choosing values over status<\/b><\/h3>\n

PEN Belarus was born out of necessity. It emerged during a turning point in history, when despair and inner tension gave rise to hope for meaningful change. The future was still unclear, but Belarusian writers and intellectuals envisioned an organization built not on party discipline, ideological conformity, or status\u2014<\/span>but on values<\/i><\/b>: freedom of speech, the right to hold an opinion, accountability for one\u2019s words, and protection of every voice.<\/span><\/p>\n

The founding committee of this alternative to the official Soviet Writers\u2019 Union included major cultural figures: Sviat\u0142ana Aleksijevi\u010d, U\u0142adzimir Ar\u0142o\u016d, Ryhor Baradulin, Vasil Byka\u016d, Hienad\u017a Bura\u016dkin, Janka Bryl, U\u0142adzimir Niaklaje\u016d, Ale\u015b Razana\u016d, Kar\u0142as \u0160erman, and others. Twenty writers in total\u2014and only one of them a woman.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Kar\u0142as \u0160erman, Ryhor Baradulin, Vasil Byka\u016d, U\u0142adzimir Niaklaje\u016d, Valancin Taras, and David Simanovi\u010d on the eve of the founding meeting of PEN Belarus<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The name \u201cPEN\u201d is not just a reference to the writing instrument\u2014it stands for Poets, Essayists, Novelists. It was these voices that English writers like John Galsworthy, H.G. Wells, and Catherine Amy Dawson Scott sought to bring together when they launched the first PEN Club in 1921. Over time, journalists, researchers, translators, publishers, and playwrights joined too\u2014people who championed human dignity, freedom, and culture through the written word.<\/span><\/p>\n

This was their answer to the horrors of World War I: to reach mutual understanding through art, not arms. PEN quickly grew into a global network. In 1990, our PEN joined it\u2014formally founded a year earlier.<\/span><\/p>\n

Kar\u0142as \u0160erman (Carlos Sherman) \u2014 translator, writer, human rights defender\u2014played a key role in this journey. In his memoir The Wanderer<\/a>, he wrote:<\/span><\/p>\n

“Independent thought across the USSR was always seen as a kind of original sin. We were constantly accused of thinking the way we did, rather than the way we were supposed to. It\u2019s no coincidence that the PEN Center brought together people who cherished and still cherish free thought. That\u2019s why PEN was treated the way it was. And I believe it always will be.”<\/span><\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n

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Kar\u0142as \u0160erman at his desk. One of the first offices of PEN Belarus, from 1991 to 19??, was located at 9 Aranskaja Street in Minsk. Kar\u0142as \u0160erman served as Vice President of the organization for 12 years, from its founding in 1989 until 2001.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u0160erman gave PEN Belarus its strong human rights focus and turned it into a center of resistance to the regime, which was gradually reverting to Soviet-style ideology. PEN members spoke out publicly, defended authors\u2019 dignity, challenged silence, monitored censorship, and published the now-famous Yellow Book documenting media persecution in the 1990s.<\/span><\/p>\n

The PEN Belarus took part in the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Linguistic Rights, a document primarily created to support languages that are under threat of extinction.<\/span><\/p>\n

Reflecting on this formative time, Vasil Byka\u016d recalled:<\/span><\/p>\n

“Our literature and politics have always been closely connected\u2014and that\u2019s not a bad thing. The real question is: what kind of politics? PEN Belarus pursued a national-democratic vision aimed at independence and freedom for the country. It helped found the important human rights organization the Helsinki Committee, where PEN members initially held leading roles. To its credit, PEN Belarus remained united for over a decade without splitting. That\u2019s a rare thing.”<\/span><\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

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A space for writers<\/b><\/h3>\n

PEN Belarus has never forgotten that literature is its heart. Creativity is what has kept this community alive\u2014it inspires, sustains, and connects generations. Already in the 1990s, the first independent literary prizes appeared<\/a>: the Ale\u015b Adamovi\u010d Prize for journalism and the Franci\u0161ak Bahu\u0161evi\u010d Prize for works shaping historical consciousness. Both awards still exist today, serving as symbols of cultural pride and memory.<\/span><\/p>\n

When Belarusian culture came under the heavy machinery of de-Belarusization, PEN launched a broad educational movement. In the mid-2000s, contests for young writers opened the door to workshops with professional authors, poets, and philosophers. These weren\u2019t just learning opportunities\u2014they were an invitation into the literary world, to creative partnerships, friendships, collective projects, and books.<\/span><\/p>\n

This wave gave rise to the Maksim Bahdanovi\u010d \u201cDebut\u201d Prize\u2014a joint initiative of PEN Belarus, the Belarusian Writers\u2019 Union, and the Viarhannie Foundation. And that was only the beginning: soon followed the Young Writers\u2019 Residency, the poetry festival <\/span>Vershy na asfaltse<\/span><\/i> (“Poems on the pavement”), and a translation workshop.<\/span><\/p>\n

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The 2010s brought new literary prizes: the Jerzy Giedroy\u0107 Prize for the best work of prose; the Natalla Arsiennieva Prize for the best poetry book; the Kar\u0142as \u0160erman Prize for literary translation; the Franci\u0161ak Alachnovi\u010d Prize for works written in imprisonment; and the Micha\u0142 Aniempadysta\u016d Prize for book cover design. Many of these awards were born from partnerships\u2014with the Polish Institute in Minsk, radio stations, the Designers\u2019 Union, the Flying University, and more.<\/span><\/p>\n

Honoring the best works is not only about recognizing talent. It\u2019s also about asserting that Belarusian literature is here\u2014alive and present in the modern world. When a book receives an award, it\u2019s not only professionally evaluated\u2014it gets read. Often far beyond the borders of Belarus.<\/span><\/p>\n

Through these efforts, PEN Belarus has built an environment where literature doesn\u2019t close in on itself\u2014it reaches outward, through translations and conversations. Into new generations who keep writing\u2014even when it becomes an openly dangerous act. This is a space where words live and grow.<\/span><\/p>\n

That includes writing in today\u2019s forced exile. It\u2019s not the ideal soil for literature, but it\u2019s not a void either. The creative process in these conditions is deeply personal\u2014many authors write against all odds. That\u2019s when quiet, friendly support becomes especially meaningful.<\/span><\/p>\n

Taciana Niadbaj, the current chair of PEN Belarus, reflects:<\/span><\/p>\n

“These past years have shown us that life is more incredible than literature. What\u2019s happened has matured us\u2014it\u2019s lifted us above ourselves. The creative process is very individual, you can\u2019t speak for everyone. Some keep journals of impressions\u2014poetic diaries that eventually get published. Some, like Sviat\u0142ana Aleksijevi\u010d, create books in their own signature style. Some keep creating. Others fall silent. Maybe so they can begin again someday, when they feel safe. I\u2019d even say we can be grateful to this reality\u2014it has given us so many emotions and experiences we can now put on paper.”<\/span><\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

As a result, we\u2019re witnessing a kind of return\u2014of prose writers, poets, and nonfiction authors\u2014to creating Belarusian literature on a new level. It turns out that deeply traumatic experience can become a foundation both for understanding a time of tragedy and for imagining a future for Belarus.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Literature was, is, and will be: it cannot be \u201cliquidated\u201d<\/b><\/h3>\n

In 2020, the Belarusian regime once again turned to old methods: literature and the broader cultural community were added to the list of those the state sought to silence. Among the main targets was PEN Belarus chairwoman at the time, Sviat\u0142ana Aleksijevi\u010d, who spoke out openly against violence and lawlessness. As a result, the Nobel laureate was forced to flee the country.<\/span><\/p>\n

In June 2021, PEN Belarus faced a coordinated bureaucratic assault. The Ministry of Justice requested documents not once but three times\u2014and each time, the organization complied, despite the enormous difficulty of gathering all the required paperwork. Eventually, a raid followed. Then came the court case, which clearly wasn\u2019t about justice\u2014it was a performance, part of a pre-scripted mechanism. Even though every accusation was met with documentation and well-founded arguments, the “judges” ignored them all and rubber-stamped the verdict: liquidation.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Then President of PEN Belarus, Sviat\u0142ana Aleksijevi\u010d, after visiting the Investigative Committee, 2020. Photo: U\u0142ad\u017a Hrydzin, Radio Svaboda<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Writer and former PEN Belarus chair Andrej Chadanovi\u010d observed at the time:<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe regime\u2019s persecution of creative and literary organizations is a form of revenge against Belarusian culture itself\u2014because culture became a symbol of the peaceful protest against violence, lies, and lawlessness. You can exile protesters or drive them underground, but you can\u2019t force people to love or respect a government they no longer believe in. I don\u2019t think there\u2019s any real court in Belarus today, or that its rulings mean anything. But literature in Belarus was, is, and will be\u2014and <\/span>that<\/span> cannot be \u2018liquidated.\u2019\u201d<\/span><\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Even then, the organization stayed true to itself. In September, PEN Belarus published the <\/span>Manifesto for an Uncertain Time<\/span><\/i><\/a>, declaring its commitment to its mission and values. A new working group held a founding meeting and registered a new legal entity\u2014in Poland. The decision-making center moved abroad, but Belarus remained the center of gravity.<\/span><\/p>\n

What matters most is what remains: the writers themselves. Writers, scattered across the world, yet united by their language, their culture, and their sense of responsibility. A community that continues to act with heart and intellect, with conscience and talent.<\/span><\/p>\n

This is not the story of defeat. This is the start of a new chapter.<\/span><\/p>\n

In exile: defending those who keep culture alive<\/b><\/h3>\n

In the early 2000s, PEN Belarus\u2019s human rights focus faded somewhat, though it remained a moral compass for the organization. But in 2017, when Ta\u0441iana Niadbaj became the first woman to lead PEN Belarus, the organization\u2014responding to the pressure of the times and the needs of the community\u2014returned directly to its core mission. Not to replace literature with activism, but to expand its field of action.<\/span><\/p>\n

It began with documenting the persecution of writers. But it quickly became clear: no one in Belarus was monitoring the situation of artists, musicians, theatre workers, directors\u2026 PEN Belarus extended its attention to the entire cultural field\u2014because when culture is repressed, it is repressed in its entirety.<\/span><\/p>\n

This work is more than just a chronicle. It is a tool of evidence\u2014one that helps communicate with international institutions, reveals the scale of repression, and dismantles myths about the state\u2019s supposed ideological neutrality.<\/span><\/p>\n

In peaceful times, such analysis could form the basis for dialogue with authorities or arguments for legal reform. Today, it serves as groundwork for the future. Because for now, a shared societal consensus remains out of reach. Still, the work continues\u2014and its moral clarity is unshaken: to defend those who keep culture alive.<\/span><\/p>\n

During the 2020 uprising, this work became a frontline effort. Repression turned into a daily reality, and PEN Belarus began recording everything\u2014to keep the truth from being lost.<\/span><\/p>\n

PEN Belarus has always balanced two roles: supporting literature and defending cultural rights. But the latter has become especially urgent. According to PEN monitoring<\/a>, persecution for dissent is the most widespread human rights violation in Belarus.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Slide from the monitoring report of violations of cultural rights and human rights of cultural figures. Belarus, 2024<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The organization defends freedom of expression not just symbolically, but practically. Weekly and monthly reports<\/a> on violations in the cultural sphere, regular analytical reviews<\/a>, publications about persecuted artists<\/a>, support campaigns, and international advocacy\u2014this is ongoing, relentless work. According to PEN\u2019s monitoring data, about 8% of all political prisoners in Belarus are people of creative professions<\/span>.<\/span> Many are behind bars simply for using words as a tool of resistance. All known cases are documented; letters of support are sent to victims of the regime; waves of global solidarity are organized in their name; public actions and events are held.<\/span><\/p>\n

PEN Belarus also maintains a list of literature deemed \u201cextremist.\u201d<\/a> This is more than just a register of banned books\u2014it\u2019s a map of cultural censorship. It reveals what the regime fears most. At the same time, the organization actively promotes cultural rights: the right to identity, language, and self-expression. Workshops, awareness campaigns, and resources for creative people\u2014and anyone who wants to know how to protect themselves\u2014are all part of its work.<\/span><\/p>\n

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These books were added to the List of Extremist Materials in 2024<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Repression has triggered an unprecedented wave of forced emigration. This created a new challenge for PEN and for cultural figures: not to disappear in foreign cultural spaces, but to preserve themselves and their work.<\/span><\/p>\n

Yet supporting those in exile is only half the mission. Equally important is caring for the creators who remain in Belarus. These people cannot speak openly. But silence is not absence. PEN Belarus understands the delicate realities they face and supports them discreetly, in solidarity.<\/span><\/p>\n

One example: a special study explored self-censorship among artists both in Belarus and in exile<\/a>. It revealed a paradoxical duality. On the one hand, we must talk about a culture of resistance; on the other\u2014a culture of silence, restraint, and anonymity.<\/span><\/p>\n

Secrecy has become a survival strategy. Internal exile, staying at home, the underground, Aesopian language\u2014all of it has become the new reality of Belarusian culture. People are dismissed, they leave\u2014but they keep creating.<\/span><\/p>\n

Even though open advocacy inside the country is no longer possible, PEN Belarus continues its work\u2014quietly, but persistently. As a witness, an archivist, a defender. Not for headlines, but to preserve the files of our collective memory. To one day call things by their true names. To lift the curtain of silence and leave a record of this time\u2014of the creators, the literary community. So that in a year, a decade, or even a century, there will be something to return to.<\/span><\/p>\n

Volha \u0160paraha, philosopher and PEN Belarus board member, writes:<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe significance of PEN Belarus is hard to overstate. What matters most is that it stands on values\u2014especially mutual understanding among people and communities, including national ones, and the fight against all forms of hatred in the name of peace and equality. Free speech cannot be banned.\u201d<\/span><\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

This resilience and devotion to values make PEN Belarus not just an organization, but a moral compass\u2014especially in times when language is under attack, muted, and pushed toward total silence.<\/span><\/p>\n

Wherever PEN Belarus continues to exist, memory, dignity, and hope are preserved.<\/span><\/p>\n

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In both Soviet times and modern-day Belarus, freedom of expression has never come easily. It has always required a fight\u2014for the right to speak, to write, to testify. This struggle feels especially urgent today, amid sweeping repression, forced exile, and an ongoing information war. That\u2019s why the mission of PEN Belarus remains as relevant as<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":117,"featured_media":19255,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4092,1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-19205","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news-friends","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/penbelarus.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19205","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/penbelarus.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/penbelarus.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/penbelarus.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/117"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/penbelarus.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19205"}],"version-history":[{"count":20,"href":"https:\/\/penbelarus.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19205\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":19293,"href":"https:\/\/penbelarus.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19205\/revisions\/19293"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/penbelarus.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/19255"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/penbelarus.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19205"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/penbelarus.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19205"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/penbelarus.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19205"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}