This report draws on data collected by the PEN Belarus monitoring group from open sources, individual contacts, and personal meetings with cultural figures. The information reflects the situation at the time of writing and may be updated as new data becomes available.<\/p>\n
Despite efforts to ensure accuracy and completeness, some gaps may remain. These include difficulties in identifying or classifying individuals as cultural figures, due to limited public data. PEN Belarus welcomes clarifications or additional information. If you wish to report a violation, even confidentially, or to clarify details, contact us at dapamoha@penbelarus.org or t.me\/viadoma.<\/p>\n
Given the situation in Belarus\u2019s cultural sphere, PEN Belarus recognises cultural figures as defenders of cultural rights. This role is based on their importance to public life and artistic expression. The approach aligns with the UN Special Rapporteur\u2019s report<\/a> (A\/HRC\/43\/50, 2020). Further details on the monitoring methodology are available here<\/a>.<\/p>\n Key monitoring results<\/a> In early 2026, politically motivated persecution of Belarusian cultural figures persisted. Cultural activity, particularly literary work, continued to be criminalised. The United States mediated the release of another group of political prisoners through negotiations with the \u0141uka\u0161enka regime, but new arrests followed. Monitors document individuals freed by pardon who often face forced exile, loss of ID papers, and seizure of their prison manuscripts. A new form of persecution has also appeared: revoking the valid passports of deported citizens.<\/p>\n High-profile repressive measures in the cultural sphere include unprecedented pressure on independent publishers and book distributors. These measures involve detentions, interrogations, administrative arrests, and criminal prosecution. The Minsk-based publishing house Technalohija<\/em> had its activities suspended. The Kamunikat.org<\/em> foundation and the publishing houses Gutenberg<\/em>, \u0141ohvina\u016d<\/em>, and Janu\u0161kievi\u010d \u2013 <\/em>all of which legally publish Belarusian books abroad \u2013 were designated as \u201cextremist formations\u201d.<\/p>\n Several other key cultural initiatives have faced a similar fate. PEN Belarus, the country\u2019s most longstanding human rights organisation for literary professionals, is now counted among the \u201cextremist formations\u201d.<\/p>\n Criminal prosecution and administrative pressure have affected numerous cultural figures. For example, musician Aleh Chamienka, frontman of the folk-modern band Pa\u0142ac<\/em>, received a three-year prison term for producing music radio programmes. Other examples include detentions at Minsk\u2019s Parason<\/em> cultural space, administrative punishment for participating in the traditional Hukannie Viasny<\/em> (Calling of Spring) ritual, the expansion of unofficial performer blacklists, and the widespread cancellation of major annual music festivals.<\/p>\n There has been evidence of private companies in the cultural and entertainment sector being nationalised. Kvitki.by, the country\u2019s largest event ticketing platform, was forced to stop operation in September 2025 and had its trademarks moved to Belarusian Lotteries, a state-owned enterprise overseen by the Office of the president.<\/p>\n In addition to various methods of transnational repression, there have been reports of security forces intimidating<\/a> and threatening exiled Belarusians who celebrate their national holiday, Freedom Day.<\/p>\n The overall human rights situation in Belarus remains critical. On 30 March 2026, at its 61st session, the UN Human Rights Council adopted a resolution<\/a> on Belarus reflecting the seriousness of the situation in the country and the continued impunity for violations. Nevertheless, Belarus continues to ignore fundamental recommendations concerning freedom of expression, assembly, and association.<\/p>\n On 19 February 2026<\/strong>, illustrator Natalla Levaja<\/strong>, a political prisoner, was pardoned and released. In July 2024, she was sentenced to six years in a penal colony for making donations, including to the Armed Forces of Ukraine. \u0141uka\u0161enka\u2019s press service called<\/a> her release an act of \u201chumanity and consideration\u201d. The public learned<\/a> that Natalla was in prison in late pregnancy thanks to former political prisoner and journalist Maryna Zo\u0142atava.<\/p>\n On 19 March 2026<\/strong>, 250 political prisoners were pardoned, marking the largest release since the 2020 events. Mediation by the United States government made this possible, along with another [2]<\/a> visit to Minsk by Donald Trump\u2019s Special Envoy for Belarus, John Coale. The pardoned included those serving in penal colonies and those under restricted liberty in open-type correctional facilities or home confinement. In several cases, sentences were already near completion.<\/p>\n Of the total number pardoned, 235 individuals<\/strong> were permitted to remain in Belarus.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/em>\u201cBefore being released, they were all placed under the supervision of the security services and the police,\u201d<\/em> Alaksandr \u0141uka\u0161enka warned<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Fifteen people<\/strong> were deported to Lithuania.<\/p>\n \u201cWe do not need them here in this country. Whether they would have been released <\/em>tomorrow or not, they should not remain here\u201d,<\/em> \u0141uka\u0161enka stated in explaining the expulsions.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Among those pardoned were at least 22 cultural figures <\/strong>[3]<\/a>: 18 remained in Belarus, while four were forcibly expelled.<\/p>\n After more than four and a half years in prison, political analyst and editor Valeryja Kasciuhova <\/strong>was released \u201cwith the possibility<\/a> of remaining in the Republic of Belarus\u201d. Those pardoned also included:<\/p>\n \u2022<\/span> Aleh Supruniuk <\/strong>\u2013 journalist and local historian, Released from serving sentences in open-type correctional institutions were:<\/p>\n \u2022<\/span> Aleh Zielanko <\/strong>\u2013 head of the historical club Mindo\u016dh<\/em>, Released from home confinement were:<\/p>\n \u2022<\/span> U\u0142adzimir Patapienka<\/strong> \u2013 musician and founder of the electronic music school by<\/em>, Among the cultural figures forcibly expelled from Belarus were journalist and author Kaciaryna Andrejeva (Bachva\u0142ava)<\/strong>, blogger and populariser of history Eduard Pal\u010dys<\/strong>, historical reenactor and activist Kim Samusienka<\/strong>, and UX\/UI designer Dzmitryj Kubara\u016d<\/strong>. As in previous waves of pardons involving deportation, their passports were not returned, and they were not provided with official release documents.<\/p>\n Journalist and local historian \u0141arysa \u0160\u010dyrakova<\/strong>, who had been released and forcibly expelled from Belarus on 11 September 2025, has continued to defend her rights. Having received no response to her complaints within Belarus, she resorted to international mechanisms. On 24 February 2026, her complaint concerning violations of women\u2019s rights and forced expulsion from Belarus<\/span> was officially registered<\/a> by the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women.<\/p>\n During the reporting period, a new form of transnational repression was documented: the invalidation of passports<\/strong> belonging to deported former political prisoners. This practice affected both those pardoned in March and individuals released during earlier waves of pardons. The Belarusian Ministry of Internal Affairs reportedly invalidated the passports of Eduard Pal\u010dys (pardoned on 19 March 2026), human rights defender, literary scholar and Nobel laureate Ale\u015b Bialacki (pardoned on 13 December 2025), and others.<\/p>\n In response to the arbitrary invalidation of passports, a coalition of human rights organisations issued a statement<\/a> emphasising that \u201ca passport is not merely an administrative document, but a confirmation of a person\u2019s legal and social identity\u201d. Although the invalidation of a passport does not de jure result in the loss of citizenship, it creates a situation of de facto statelessness and deprives individuals of access to fundamental rights, including freedom of movement, the right to marry, property rights, equal treatment and non-discrimination, among others.<\/p>\n The persecution of deported individuals does not end with the confiscation or invalidation of passports. The regime continues to exert pressure on former political prisoners both abroad and within Belarus.<\/p>\n As a result of the March pardons, the total number of political prisoners in Belarus fell below one thousand. Nevertheless, the persecution of dissenting voices and the overall level of repression in the country continue unabated. During the first quarter of 2026, approximately two dozen cultural workers were pardoned, while at least 23 cultural figures were arrested or detained, and 15 sector representatives were recognised as political prisoners<\/span> (including those described as \u201cformer political prisoners\u201d [4]<\/a>). As of the end of March 2026, at least 128 cultural figures remained imprisoned or subject to restrictions on their liberty.<\/p>\n Over the past five years, independent publishing in Belarus has remained one of the regime\u2019s primary targets. Systematic pressure on Belarusian books \u2013 ranging from the detention and interrogation of authors and publishers, the designation of printed publications as \u201cextremist\u201d or harmful for distribution, to criminal prosecutions and the forced liquidation of entire publishing houses \u2013 was documented in detail in the chronicle<\/a> The Belarusian Book under Repression<\/em>.<\/p>\n However, the first quarter of 2026 marked a new and unprecedented wave of persecution: a coordinated attack on the infrastructure of the independent book market and an attempt to \u201cburn the bridges\u201d between literature produced inside Belarus and abroad. February\u2013March 2026 became a period of large-scale repression: more than 20 cases of detention or interrogation of representatives of the publishing sector were documented. The pressure became transnational in nature.<\/p>\n Among the publicly known incidents during this period:<\/p>\n Among those who remain in pre-trial detention in the so-called \u201cpublishers\u2019 case\u201d is translator Zmicier Ko\u0142as<\/strong><\/a>. He is charged with creating or participating in an extremist formation under Article 361-1 of the Criminal Code.<\/span><\/p>\n On 19 March 2026, PEN Belarus, together with representatives of the human rights and cultural communities, issued a statement<\/a> condemning the new wave of large-scale repression against independent publishers, book distributors, and cultural organisations in Belarus. The organisation characterised these actions as a systematic state policy aimed at eliminating dissent and committing ethnocide. Such practices directly violate the Constitution of the Republic of Belarus and international standards guaranteeing freedom of expression and participation in cultural life<\/strong>.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is not merely an attack on specific individuals and initiatives, but a blow against the right of the entire Belarusian society to access books, knowledge, language, cultural memory, and free intellectual exchange<\/em>\u201d.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Ale\u015b Bialacki<\/strong>, Chair of the Viasna Human Rights Centre and Nobel Peace Prize laureate, also sharply criticised<\/a> the crackdown, stressing that the state had moved towards open terror against national culture and \u201cbearers of Belarusian identity\u201d.<\/p>\n The crackdown on publishers formed part of a broader wave of repression targeting independent culture, including through the mechanism of \u201cextremist formations\u201d. This status not only prohibits the activities of organisations in the territory of Belarus, but also criminalises any involvement with them \u2013 from direct participation, cooperation, or financial support to following their social media accounts.<\/p>\n During the first quarter of 2026, the KGB and the Ministry of Internal Affairs designated several prominent Belarusian cultural organisations as \u201cextremist formations\u201d, adding them to the official \u201cList<\/a> of organisations, formations, individual entrepreneurs involved in extremist activity\u201d.<\/p>\n Considering the initiatives already mentioned above, the list of cultural organisations designated by the authorities as \u201cextremist formations\u201d during the first three months of the year includes the following:<\/p>\n \u00d7<\/span>\u00a0Bud\u017ama bie\u0142arusami!<\/strong> (Ministry of Internal Affairs\u2019 decision, 29 January) \u2013 one of the country\u2019s largest independent cultural and educational campaigns, founded in 2008. The initiative promotes Belarusian national values, the Belarusian language, and historical memory [5]<\/a>. Following the forced liquidation in 2021 of its founding organisations (Ba\u0107ka\u016d\u0161\u010dyna <\/em>Association and Focus Group<\/em> NGO), the campaign relocated to Lithuania and continues to operate there as an independent educational and information platform.<\/p>\n \u00d7<\/span>\u00a0Gutenberg Publisher<\/strong> (KGB\u2019s decision, 16 February) \u2013 an independent Belarusian publishing house founded in Krak\u00f3w, Poland, on 8 March 2023. It publishes books and board games in Belarusian [6]<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u00d7<\/span>\u00a0PEN Belarus<\/strong> (KGB\u2019s decision, 27 February) \u2013 one of the country\u2019s oldest cultural and human rights organisations, founded in 1989 and affiliated with PEN International. Following its forced liquidation in Belarus in August 2021, the organisation has continued operating from Warsaw, Poland [7]<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u00d7<\/span>\u00a0<\/strong>The \u201ccoalition\u201d<\/strong> (artificially constructed by the KGB) comprising the org Foundation<\/em>, Lohvinau Publishing House<\/em>, and Andrei Yanushkevich Publishing<\/em> (KGB\u2019s decision, 3 March).<\/p>\n Kamunikat.org Foundation<\/strong> (Kamunikat Library) \u2013 the world\u2019s largest Belarusian online library, containing nearly 60,000 publications, including books, audio editions, rare newspapers, and journals. The project is run by a Polish foundation established by members of the Belarusian ethnic minority in Bia\u0142ystok. Since 2021, it has also engaged in publishing activities [8]<\/a>. \u00d7<\/span>\u00a0Spad\u010dyna Bie\u0142arusi<\/strong> \/ Heritage of Belarus (KGB\u2019s decision, 11 March) \u2013 a cultural and educational initiative based in Wroc\u0142aw, Poland. The community organises courses and events to promote the Belarusian language and preserve the cultural identity of Belarusians abroad [10]<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u00d7<\/span>\u00a0Northern Lights<\/strong> \/ Pa\u016dno\u010dnaje zziannie (KGB\u2019s decision, 11 March) \u2013 an annual international film festival founded in Minsk in 2015. It specialises in Belarusian-language screenings of contemporary feature films and documentaries from Northern Europe, the Baltic states, Ukraine, and Belarus. Since 2020, it has operated online and in hybrid formats outside Belarus and is registered in Tallinn, Estonia [11]<\/a>.<\/p>\n
\nPardons and the continued persecution of released cultural figures<\/a>
\nPersecution of independent publishers and distributors of Belarusian books<\/a>
\nCriminalisation of cultural activity: expansion of the list of \u201cextremist formations\u201d<\/a>
\nArbitrary detentions and criminal prosecution<\/a>
\nCensorship and other violations of cultural rights<\/a>
\nState policy in the field of culture<\/a>
\nConclusions<\/a><\/p>\nKEY MONITORING RESULTS<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Persecution in January-March 2026 in figures:<\/strong><\/h5>\n
\n
PARDONS AND THE CONTINUED PERSECUTION OF RELEASED CULTURAL FIGURES<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\n
\n
\n\u2022<\/span> Ksienija Su\u0161a <\/strong>\u2013 bibliographer and former employee of the National Library,
\n\u2022<\/span> Pavie\u0142 Ksiandzo\u016d<\/strong> \u2013 artist,
\n\u2022<\/span> Illa Baryskievi\u010d<\/strong> \u2013 editor of the Belarusian-language section of Wikipedia,
\n\u2022<\/span> Dzmitryj \u0160a\u0142ak <\/strong>\u2013 musician,
\n\u2022<\/span> Siarhiej Hor\u0142a\u016d<\/strong> \u2013 translator and musician,
\n\u2022<\/span> Alaksandra Dubro\u016dskaja<\/strong> \u2013 English teacher,
\n\u2022<\/span> Siarhiej Skibinski<\/strong> \u2013 designer and illustrator,
\n\u2022<\/span> Jaras\u0142ava Chrom\u010dankava<\/strong> \u2013 German teacher and educational organiser,
\n\u2022<\/span> Ivan Falitar<\/strong> \u2013 musician and event organiser,
\n\u2022<\/span> Siarhiej Jun\u010dyc<\/strong> \u2013 patron of the arts.<\/p>\n
\n\u2022<\/span> U\u0142adzis\u0142a\u016d Ko\u0161ale\u016d <\/strong>\u2013 photographer,
\n\u2022<\/span> Andrej Niesciarovi\u010d<\/strong> \u2013 owner of the ethnographic shop Cudo\u016dnia<\/em>.<\/p>\n
\n\u2022<\/span> Alaksiej Drupa\u016d <\/strong>\u2013 historian and ethnographer;
\n\u2022<\/span> Dzmitryj Caruk<\/strong> \u2013 designer and illustrator.<\/p>\n
\nContinued pressure on released cultural figures<\/strong><\/h5>\n
\n
General situation<\/h5>\n
PERSECUTION OF INDEPENDENT PUBLISHERS AND DISTRIBUTORS OF BELARUSIAN BOOKS <\/strong><\/h2>\n
\n
\nAmong those detained were:<\/p>\n\n
\nThe authorities identified the following individuals as allegedly associated with this \u201cformation\u201d: Jaros\u0142aw Iwaniuk<\/strong> (a Polish citizen), Andrej Janu\u0161kievi\u010d<\/strong>, Ihar \u0141ohvina\u016d<\/strong>, as well as Zmicier Ko\u0142as<\/strong>, Vac\u0142a\u016d Bahdanovi\u010d<\/strong>, and Ale\u015b Ja\u016ddacha<\/strong>. The latter three reside in Belarus; they were detained during the February raids. On March 24, five weeks after the arrest, Vac\u0142a\u016d Bahdanovi\u010d and Ale\u015b Ja\u016ddacha had been released.<\/li>\n\n
CRIMINALISATION OF CULTURAL ACTIVITY: EXPANSION OF THE LIST OF \u201cEXTREMIST FORMATIONS\u201d<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\nLohvinau Publishing House <\/strong>\u2013 an independent Belarusian publishing house which, after being stripped of its licence by the authorities in October 2013, was forced to relocate<\/a> and has continued its publishing activities from Vilnius, Lithuania, since 2014.
\nAndrei Yanushkevich Publishing<\/strong> \u2013 an independent Belarusian publishing house and bookstore currently based in Warsaw, Poland. It is the successor to the Minsk-based Yanushkevich<\/em> publishing house, which was shut down by the authorities in January 2023 [9]<\/a>.<\/p>\n