As of 15 July 2025, at least 156 cultural figures, including 39 writers, were not free \u2013 either imprisoned or in home confinement.<\/b><\/p>\n
On 9 July 2025, human rights defenders recognised <\/span>Aleh Chamienka<\/b>, the leader of the band <\/span>Pa\u0142ac<\/span><\/i> and a folklore researcher, as a political prisoner, following the opening of a criminal case against him for cooperating with independent media outlets.<\/span><\/p>\n Ihar S\u0142u\u010dak<\/b>, a promoter of the Belarusian language, was put on the international wanted list based on a politically motivated criminal case.<\/span><\/p>\n The health condition of researcher <\/span>Valeryja Kasciuhova<\/b> reportedly deteriorated in women\u2019s penal colony No. 4 in Homiel, where she is serving her prison sentence.<\/span><\/p>\n The Ministry of Internal Affairs has designated the Belarusian folk-punk band <\/span>Dzieciuki<\/b> as an \u201cextremist formation\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n Authorities banned an event dedicated to the poet <\/span>\u0141arysa Hieniju\u0161<\/b> at the <\/span>Parason <\/b>gallery in Minsk.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n <\/b>1.<\/strong> On 9 July 2025, human rights defenders recognised <\/span>Aleh Chamienka<\/b>, the leader of the contemporary folk band <\/span>Pa\u0142ac<\/span><\/i>, a lecturer, researcher of Belarusian folklore, composer, author of texts on cultural studies, and a radio host, as a political prisoner. He was detained in Minsk on 25 June. A criminal case was opened against him for cooperating with an independent Belarusian media outlet listed as an \u201cextremist formation\u201d. He is currently held in the pre-trial detention centre No. 1.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/b>2.<\/strong> On 14 July, reports emerged that <\/span>Ihar S\u0142u\u010dak<\/b>, a promoter of the Belarusian language, appeared on the international wanted list due to the politically motivated criminal case initiated under Article 361-4 (Part 2) of the Criminal Code (facilitating extremist activity) on 22 May 2024.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/b>1.<\/strong> On 13 July, <\/span>Ihar Karniej, <\/b>a journalist, essayist, and author of texts on Belarusian cultural and historical heritage, as well as a travel blogger who had been released from prison three weeks earlier, wrote on his Facebook page about food experience in Belarusian penal colonies: <\/span>\u201cThe system, especially in Belarus, is designed to deprive prisoners of even the most basic needs. This includes food, which is why many people leave prison physically depleted. [\u2026] As for meat, it reaches your aluminium bowl in the form of a so-called \u2018polar bear\u2019 – boiled lard, a semi-transparent lump of grease. Unlike with pearl barley peas, even the condition of permanent hunger couldn\u2019t overcome the disgust for this biomass. [\u2026]<\/span><\/i> <\/b>2.<\/strong> The health condition of researcher<\/span> Valeryja Kasciuhova,<\/b> who is serving a sentence in women\u2019s penal colony No. 4 in Homiel, has reportedly deteriorated. \u201cShe constantly requires special care and a dietary regimen, which are not being provided. She is denied access to a lighter work regime. The quality of food, lack of sleep and rest, and her psychological condition are all worsening her health,\u201d said a source.<\/span> She was detained in Minsk on 30 June 2021. On 17 <\/span>March 2023<\/b>, the Minsk City Court sentenced researchers <\/span>Valeryja Kasciuhova<\/b> and Tacciana Kuzina each to ten years in a minimum-security penal colony, finding them guilty under three articles of the Criminal Code: Article 357 Part 1 (assisting actions committed with the aim of seizing power; Article 361 Part 3 (calls for actions aimed at harming national security), Article 130 Part 3 (inciting social hatred and discord).<\/span><\/p>\n On 10 July, the Ministry of Internal Affairs designated the Belarusian folk-punk band Dzieciuki as an \u201cextremist formation\u201d, listing its members <\/span>Alaksandr Dzianisa\u016d, U\u0142adzis\u0142a\u016d Biernat, Dzianis \u0160matko, Cimafiej \u0160taro\u016d, Alaksiej Pudzin <\/b>and<\/span> Piotr Dudanovi\u010d<\/b> as extremists. <\/span>Dzieciuki are known for incorporating Belarusian folk motifs and historical themes into their songs.<\/span><\/p>\n On 8 July, a planned literary evening dedicated to poet <\/span>\u0141arysa Hieniju\u0161<\/b> was banned at the <\/span>Parason<\/i><\/b> gallery in Minsk. Poet and literary scholar <\/span>Micha\u015b Skob\u0142a<\/b> was invited to host the event. The announcement of the readings drew attention from pro-government propagandists. <\/span>\u0141arysa Hieniju\u0161 <\/span>(1910\u20131983) was a Belarusian poet and political activist. She was arrested in Prague in 1948 and extradited to the BSSR. In February 1949, the Supreme<\/span> Court of the BSSR sentenced her to 25 years in labour camps for \u201caiding the international bourgeoisie\u201d. While imprisoned, she wrote poetry, which circulated among prisoners in handwritten form. Her poems were called \u201cglucose\u201d by fellow inmates because they gave them the strength to carry on. <\/span>She was released in 1956, lived in Zelva, and refused to accept Soviet citizenship until her death. She has not been rehabilitated to this day.<\/span><\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" As of 15 July 2025, at least 156 cultural figures, including 39 writers, were not free \u2013 either imprisoned or in home confinement. On 9 July 2025, human rights defenders recognised Aleh Chamienka, the leader of the band Pa\u0142ac and a folklore researcher, as a political prisoner, following the opening of a criminal case against<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":117,"featured_media":19868,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4255],"tags":[4291,4285],"class_list":["post-19849","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cultural-right","tag-chronicle","tag-hronika"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/penbelarus.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19849","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=19849"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/penbelarus.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19849\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":19869,"href":"https:\/\/penbelarus.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19849\/revisions\/19869"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/penbelarus.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/19868"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/penbelarus.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19849"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/penbelarus.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19849"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/penbelarus.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19849"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\n\u0406. <\/b>Criminal prosecution of cultural figures, authors, and performers<\/b><\/h5>\n
II. Conditions in the places of incarceration\u00a0<\/b><\/h5>\n
\n<\/span><\/i>Once back in humane conditions, the natural temptation is to devour everything you used to dream of while imprisoned: a big piece of meat, proper fish, scrambled eggs with cracklings, pancakes, borscht (!), salad with sour cream, strawberries, cherries, and an apple. And to wash it all down with kefir, tomato juice, Coke, and beer all at the same time. A hunger-induced madness that eventually fades, but why, in the 21st century, must people be driven to such torment?\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n
\n<\/span>Valeryja Kasciuhova<\/b> is the founder and editor of the expert community website <\/span>Na\u0161e Mnienije<\/span><\/i>, editor and author of the annual analytical publication <\/span>Belarusian Yearbook<\/span><\/i>, and head of the expert group <\/span>Belarus in Focus<\/span><\/i>.<\/span><\/p>\nIII. Repression in the field of music<\/b><\/h5>\n
IV. Censorship, bans on cultural events<\/b><\/h5>\n