As of 15 November 2025, at least 157 cultural figures, including 33 writers, were not free \u2013 either imprisoned or in home confinement.<\/b><\/p>\n
The founder of a music school, <\/span>U\u0142adzimir Patapienka<\/b>, was detained.<\/span><\/p>\n Photographer <\/span>Vadzim Zdaravienna\u016d<\/b> was sentenced to two years in prison.<\/span><\/p>\n In Minsk, a <\/span>Wikipedia<\/b> editor was sentenced to two years in prison and fined 300 base units (12,600 rubles = 3,695 USD).<\/span><\/p>\n The Judicial Board of the Supreme Court rejected the appeal of journalist and writer <\/span>Ihar Ilja\u0161<\/b> and upheld the lower court\u2019s decision \u2013 four years in a penal colony.<\/span><\/p>\n Journalist, translator, and short story author <\/span>Rus\u0142an Raviaka<\/b> was sentenced to home confinement.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n A German language teacher from Mazyr, <\/span>Jaras\u0142ava Chram\u010dankova<\/b>, was sentenced to three years in prison.<\/span><\/p>\n The eyesight of imprisoned local history enthusiast <\/span>U\u0142adzimir Hundar<\/b> has deteriorated behind bars.<\/span><\/p>\n Prison literature author <\/span>Ihar Alinievi\u010d<\/b> was placed in a cell-type facility in Correctional Colony No. 20 in Mazyr.<\/span><\/p>\n The social media pages of reenactor <\/span>Pavie\u0142 Stankievi\u010d<\/b> were declared \u201cextremist\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n The TikTok account of poet, performer, reenactor, and TV presenter <\/span>Kaciaryna Vadanosava<\/b> was declared \u201cextremist\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n The printed publication <\/span>Here They Are, and Here We Are: Belarusian Poetry and Poems of Solidarity<\/i><\/b> was declared \u201cextremist\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n At the <\/span>\u201cKaladnaja Krama\u201d<\/b> (Christmas Shop) in Minsk, following a denunciation, Christmas ornaments featuring the portrait of Belarusian poet <\/span>\u0141arysa Hieniju\u0161<\/b> were removed from sale.<\/span><\/p>\n In the village of S\u0142abodka, Astraviec district, a <\/span>monument to the insurgents<\/b> of 1863 was dismantled.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/b>1.<\/strong> On 7 November, it was reported that the founder of a music school, <\/span>U\u0142adzimir Patapienka<\/b>, had been detained several days after returning from Warsaw. His persecution is believed to be connected to the \u201cBie\u0142aruski Hajun\u201d case \u2013 an independent monitoring project that tracked the movement of Russian troops and military equipment across Belarus.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/b>2.<\/strong> On 10 November, photographer <\/span>Vadzim Zdaravienna\u016d<\/b> was sentenced in Minsk to two years\u2019 imprisonment for a single negative online comment, under Article 368 of the Criminal Code (insulting the president). He had been detained in April 2025.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/b>3.<\/strong> On 13 November, a verdict was handed down in Minsk against a university lecturer and <\/span>Wikipedia<\/b> editor. The press service of the Prosecutor General\u2019s Office reported the case without naming the defendant. According to the prosecution, between 2020 and 2025, he \u201cposted 25 textual entries on Wikipedia containing knowingly false information, including about historical facts and state symbols of the Republic of Belarus, presidential elections and national referenda, the activities of state bodies and paramilitary organisations, and the legal status of citizens.\u201d He was found guilty under Article 369-1 of the Criminal Code (discrediting Belarus) and sentenced to two years\u2019 imprisonment and a fine of 300 base units (12,600 BYN = 3,695 USD).<\/span><\/p>\n <\/b>4.<\/strong> On 14 November, the Supreme Court considered the appeal of writer and journalist <\/span>Ihar Ilja\u0161<\/b>. The judicial panel rejected the appeal and upheld the lower court\u2019s ruling. On 16 September 2025, the Minsk City Court had sentenced <\/span>Ilja\u0161<\/span> to four years in a penal colony and a fine of 100 base units (4,200 BYN, approx. 1,382 USD) for giving comments to independent media, under Article 361-4 (facilitating extremist activity) and Article 369-1 (discrediting Belarus). <\/span>Ilja\u0161<\/span>, a journalist and philosopher by training, is the co-author of the documentary book <\/span>Belarusian Donbas<\/span><\/i> (co-written with his wife, Kaciaryna Andrejeva (Bachva\u0142ava), who has been imprisoned on politically motivated charges since 2020). The book documents the stories of Belarusians who fought both on the Ukrainian side and alongside Russian occupation forces. In 2021, the book was declared \u201cextremist\u201d in Belarus.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/b>5.<\/strong> On 14 November, it became known that journalist, translator, and short-story author <\/span>Rus\u0142an Raviaka<\/b> had been sentenced to restricted liberty in home confinement under Article 361-4(2) (facilitating extremist activity) and added to the \u201cextremists\u2019 list\u201d. The verdict was delivered on 19 August 2025 by the Baranavi\u010dy Regional Court. <\/span>Raviaka<\/b> was detained in Baranavi\u010dy on 5 December 2024 and held in a pre-trial detention centre. Simultaneously, seven employees of the now-liquidated independent newspaper <\/span>Intex-press<\/span><\/i> (published from 1994 to 2022) were also detained.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/b>6.<\/strong> On 15 November, it was reported that a German-language teacher from Mazyr, <\/span>Jaras\u0142ava Chram\u010dankova<\/b>, had been sentenced on 9 September 2025 under Article 361-4(1) and (2) (facilitating extremist activity) and Article 369-1 (discrediting Belarus) to three years in a penal colony. <\/span>Chram\u010dankova<\/span> was detained on 23 April 2024. Her prosecution is believed to be linked to the \u201cBie\u0142aruski Hajun\u201d case.<\/span><\/p>\n 1.<\/strong> The eyesight of political prisoner and local historian <\/span>U\u0142adzimir Hundar<\/b>, who is serving a 20-year sentence, has deteriorated behind bars \u2013 he is no longer able to read or write letters properly. Hundar has a leg amputated above the knee and is forced to move around the prison on crutches.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/b>2. Ihar Alinievi\u010d<\/b>, a writer of prison literature serving a 20-year sentence in Correctional Colony No. 20 in Mazyr, has been transferred to a cell-type confinement unit.<\/span><\/p>\n Journalist, historian, and promoter of the Belarusian language <\/span>Ja\u016dhien Mierkis<\/b> was forced to switch to Russian in the penal colony for his own safety:<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cIn the Homiel pre-trial detention centre, I had no problems speaking Belarusian. During the first week in quarantine at the penal colony, and even later in the main unit, I continued speaking it. But very soon I realised \u2013 and others told me \u2013 that it was better not to. There were even cases involving \u2018politicals\u2019 who, driven by patriotic feelings, spoke Belarusian with the staff, and for that they were placed on the \u2018preventive register\u2019 under category No. 10 as \u2018prone to extremist or other destructive activity.\u2019\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n In the village of <\/span>S\u0142abodka in the Astraviec<\/span> district, a <\/span>monument to the insurgents of the 1863 uprising <\/b>was dismantled. The memorial \u2013 a grey stone sculpture in the shape of a giant sword plunged into the ground \u2013 was erected in 2013 to mark the 150th anniversary of the Kalino\u016dski Uprising. The cross on the monument bore the insurgent password <\/span>\u201cWhom do you love?\u201d<\/span><\/i> engraved in both Latin and Cyrillic. At the top of the cross, on the sword\u2019s hilt, was an image of the <\/span>Pahonia<\/span><\/i> coat of arms.<\/span><\/p>\n Pro-Russian activists had long opposed the monument. Now, only a stone-tiled platform remains where the monument once stood.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/b>1.<\/strong> On 3 November, the social media accounts of reenactor <\/span>Pavie\u0142 Stankievi\u010d<\/b> were declared \u201cextremist\u201d. The designation applies to several VKontakte pages \u2014 <\/span>\u201cRycarski Klub Borysfen\u201d, \u201cMedieval Show-Theatre Borysfen,\u201d \u201cJourney into the Middle Ages \u2013 Weekend Tour,\u201d<\/span><\/i> and <\/span>\u201cPavel Stankevich\u201d<\/span><\/i> \u2014 as well as his Facebook page <\/span>\u201cPavie\u0142 Stankievi\u010d<\/span><\/i> (Pavel Stankevich).\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n <\/b>2.<\/strong> On 11 November, the Leninski District Court of Hrodna designated the TikTok account of poet, performer, reenactor, and TV presenter <\/span>Kaciaryna Vadanosava<\/b> as \u201cextremist\u201d. The ban also applies to the username <\/span>\u201ckasiavadanosava\u201d<\/span><\/i> \u2014 \u201cwith or without accompanying inscriptions, regardless of the information medium (flags, banners, emblems, patches, badges, stickers, labels, clothing elements, household items, etc.), as well as digital photos and video images (in any events, scenes, episodes, or frames in electronic or print media).\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n On 3 November, the printed edition <\/span>\u201cHere They Are, and Here We Are: Belarusian Poetry and Poems of Solidarity\u201d<\/i><\/b> was declared \u201cextremist\u201d. Earlier, on 4 August 2025, the Ministry of Information had already added this book to the list of \u201cprinted publications containing information and\/or materials whose distribution may harm the national interests of the Republic of Belarus.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n In Hrodna, the <\/span>\u201cVsponi\u0107 VSe\u201d<\/i><\/b> quiz event has stopped taking place. According to the organisers, the quiz was temporarily suspended due to a denunciation. \u201cA report was filed against us claiming that we did not allow a person with a state flag to enter the quiz and that during our events, the host allegedly spoke negatively about the country, the authorities, and so on. As you all know, no such incidents ever occurred. And then it all snowballed from there. A very indecent tactic\u2026 But we will return. Definitely,\u201d the organisers wrote on Instagram.<\/span><\/p>\n On 14 November, it became known that the <\/span>\u201cKaladnaja Krama\u201d<\/b> (Christmas Shop) in Minsk removed Christmas ornaments featuring the portrait of poet <\/span>\u0141arysa Hieniju\u0161<\/b> from sale following a denunciation by a pro-Russian propagandist.<\/span><\/p>\n \u0141arysa Hieniju\u0161 <\/span>(1910\u20131983) was a Belarusian poet and political activist. Arrested in Prague in 1948 and extradited to the BSSR, she was sentenced in February 1949 by the Supreme Court of the BSSR to 25 years in labour camps for \u201cassistance to the international bourgeoisie\u201d. While imprisoned, she wrote poems that circulated among inmates in handwritten form. Prisoners referred to her poems as \u201cglucose\u201d because they gave them the strength to endure. Released in 1956, she lived in Zelva and refused to accept Soviet citizenship until her death.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" As of 15 November 2025, at least 157 cultural figures, including 33 writers, were not free \u2013 either imprisoned or in home confinement. The founder of a music school, U\u0142adzimir Patapienka, was detained. Photographer Vadzim Zdaravienna\u016d was sentenced to two years in prison. In Minsk, a Wikipedia editor was sentenced to two years in prison<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":117,"featured_media":21048,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4255],"tags":[4291,4285],"class_list":["post-20912","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\/20912","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=20912"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/penbelarus.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20912\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":21050,"href":"https:\/\/penbelarus.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20912\/revisions\/21050"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/penbelarus.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/21048"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/penbelarus.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20912"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/penbelarus.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20912"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/penbelarus.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20912"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\n\u0406. Criminal prosecution of cultural figures, authors, and performers<\/b><\/h5>\n
\u0406\u0406. Conditions in places of incarceration<\/b><\/h5>\n
III<\/b>. Persecution for using the Belarusian language in places of incarceration<\/b><\/h5>\n
IV. Destruction of memorial sites<\/b><\/h5>\n
V. Designation of social media pages of public figures as \u201cextremist\u201d<\/b><\/h5>\n
VI.\u00a0 Repression in the book sector<\/b><\/h5>\n
VII. Ban on cultural initiatives<\/b><\/h5>\n
VIII. Ideological censorship<\/b><\/h5>\n