Belarus

Belarus

Belarusian opposition supporters activate the lights on their phones and wave old Belarusian national flags during a protest rally in front of the government building at Independent Square in Minsk, Belarus, Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2020. The authoritarian leader of Belarus complained that encouragement from abroad has fueled daily protests demanding his resignation as European Union leaders held an emergency summit Wednesday on the country’s contested presidential election and fierce crackdown on demonstrators.
AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky

What You Need to Know

According to PEN Belarus, as of December 31, 2023, there were at least 1,499 cultural rights violations and human rights violations against cultural figures in Belarus.

The suppression of dissenting speech—by means of arrest, judicial harassment, and exile—has resulted in the imprisonment of writers critical of the Belarusian and Russian government.

While Belarusian is one of the official languages of the country, Belarusian speakers experience discrimination in sectors including publishing and higher education. 

Individual Cases

  • Svetlana Alexievich

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    A renowned literary writer, essayist and Belarus’s first ever Nobel Prize winner, Alexievich was charged for alleged “appeals to overthrow… More


  • Uladzimir Matskevich

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    Matskevich is a philosopher who was arrested in a home raid on August 4, 2021 and detained in restrictive conditions,… More


  • Valeria Kostyugova

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    Political analyst and writer Kostyugova is editor of the online community Our Opinion and its annual publication Belarusian Yearbook. In… More


  • Ales Bialacki

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    Bialacki is a writer, literary critic, and head of human rights group Viasna. In July 2021, he was arrested on… More


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