Belarus: PEN Belarus labelled ‘extremist’ amid systematic crackdown on cultural rights

Image Credit: PEN International. Knihaŭka bookstore, set up by publisher Andrej Januškievič.

‘We vehemently condemn the Belarusian authorities’ decision to criminalise the activities of PEN Belarus. Our fearless colleagues are guilty of nothing but doing their utmost to defend and celebrate Belarusian culture. We stand with PEN Belarus and fellow persecuted writers, publishers and artists, and will continue to speak out until the rights of all Belarusians are upheld’, said Romana Cacchioli, Executive Director of PEN International. 

12 March 2026 – The Belarusian authorities must stop their brutal crackdown on the Belarusian language, culture and identity, PEN International said today, after PEN Belarus was declared an ‘extremist formation’. The move is the latest attack on the country’s cultural sector, which has come under sustained and systematic onslaught.  

On 16 February 2026, the Belarusian authorities labelled the website and social media pages of PEN Belarus as ‘extremist materials.’ Distributing or storing such materials may result in a fine or administrative detention of up to 15 days (Article 19.11 of the Code of Administrative Offences of Belarus). On 27 February 2026, the State Security Committee (KGB) declared PEN Belarus an ‘extremist formation’, with the decision only made public on 4 March. Alleged members of ‘extremist formations’ face up to seven years in prison. Financial support is punishable by up to five years in prison, while those deemed to have facilitated the activities of ‘extremist formations’ in any way risk up to six years in prison (Articles 361.1, 361.2 and 361.4 of the Criminal Code of Belarus, which also carry substantial fines).  

PEN Belarus has been at the forefront of cultural rights in Belarus since its inception in 1989. The Centre was dissolved by the Supreme Court of Belarus on 9 August 2021 amid a brutal crackdown on dissent and subsequently relocated to Poland. PEN Belarus plays a leading role in defending Belarusian culture, language and identity, including through its scrupulous monitoring of cultural and human rights violations against cultural workers.  

In a decision dated 3 March 2026, the KGB declared several publishers ‘extremist formations’. The decision targets publishing houses that print books in the Belarusian language, including Kamunikat.org Foundation, Lohvinau Publishing House, and Andrei Yanushkevich Publishing. Belarusian publishers and book distributors operating in Belarus and abroad were also added to the list, including Jarosław Iwaniuk (Kamunikat.org Foundation) and Andrej Januškievič (Knihauka Books, Andrei Yanushkevich Publishing), who are currently based in Poland, and Ihar Łohvinaŭ (Lohvinau Publishing), who is operating from Lithuania. Zmicier Kołas (publishing house, liquidated in 2023), Vacłaŭ Bahdanovič (publishing house Technalohija) and Aleś Jaŭdaha (knihi.by) have been detained in Belarus since 17 February 2026 on administrative grounds and are likely to face criminal charges. Prison conditions in Belarus amount to torture and other ill-treatment, with the Group of Independent Experts on the situation of human rights in Belarus notably accusing the Belarusian authorities of committing ‘the crimes against humanity of persecution on political grounds and imprisonment’. 

As documented by PEN Belarus, PEN International and PEN America, the Belarusian authorities have weaponised the criminal justice system, including through overbroad anti-extremism and counter-terrorism laws, to target individuals and organisations with dissenting views. The UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Belarus has repeatedly called on the Belarusian authorities to bring anti-extremist and counter-terrorism legislation and law-enforcement practices into line with international human rights law, including by abolishing the official lists of organisations and individuals designated as ‘extremist’ and allowing for the re-registration of all legal entities liquidated since 2020 on charges of extremism. 

The Belarusian authorities’ targeting of cultural actors, publishers, and civil society organisations operating outside the country amount to transnational repression. PEN International condemns the authorities’ relentless crackdown on the freedom to create and urges unfettered support for Belarusian language and culture – both inside and outside Belarus. 

Note to editors:

For further details contact Aurélia Dondo, Head of Europe and Central Asia Region at PEN International 

For media queries, please contact Sabrina Tucci, Head of Communications and Campaigns at PEN International