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As of 31 May 2026, at least 127 cultural figures, including at least 24 writers, were either imprisoned or under home confinement. The number of banned books climbed to 357.
A ‘special proceeding’ was initiated against singer, composer, and songwriter Siarhiej Michałok in a politically motivated criminal case.
A criminal case was initiated against public figure, writer, and former political prisoner Pavieł Sieviaryniec.
Musician Cimafiej Puhačoŭ from Homieĺ was sentenced to three years in a penal colony in a politically motivated case.
Alaksandr Baranaŭ, founder of the cultural space Dalina Aniołaŭ in Mazyr, was arrested in a politically motivated criminal case.
Singer Alaksej Chlastoŭ was detained and sentenced to 14 days of administrative arrest.
Repression against participants in the traditional Hukannie Viasny celebration continues in Homieĺ.
Searches were carried out at the registered addresses in Belarus of participants in Freedom Day celebrations held abroad.
17 new books were added to the list of printed publications that “may harm the national interests of the Republic of Belarus.”
The Facebook page “Vesna Books / Vydaŭnictva Viasna,” as well as the website and social media accounts of the theatre Kryły Chałopa, were designated “extremist materials.”
I. Criminal prosecution of cultural figures, authors and performers
1. On 16 May, it became known that a ‘special criminal proceeding’ had been initiated against singer, composer, and songwriter Siarhiej Michałok, who lives outside Belarus, in a politically motivated criminal case. Michałok is accused under Article 130(1) of the Criminal Code (incitement of hatred) and Article 368(1) of the Criminal Code (insulting the president). The musician was instructed to return to Belarus and appear before the Minsk Directorate of the Investigative Committee.
2. On 25 May, it became known that a criminal case had been opened against public figure, writer, and former political prisoner Pavieł Sieviaryniec. “It is connected with my participation in the Freedom Day celebrations,” Sieviaryniec wrote on his Facebook page. Freedom Day marks the anniversary of the proclamation of the Belarusian People’s Republic (BNR) on 25 March 1918.
3. On 26 May, it became known that musician Cimafiej Puhačoŭ from Homieĺ had been sentenced to three years in a penal colony in a politically motivated case. He was arrested on 12 August 2025. Puhačoŭ was tried by the Homieĺ Regional Court under Article 361-4(1) and (2) of the Criminal Code (facilitating extremist activity). The prosecution related to the case of Belaruski Hajun, a monitoring project that tracked the movement of Russian military equipment within Belarus. Puhačoŭ played drums in various bands and worked for the Homieĺ-based company SoundLand, which produces and sells professional audio equipment.
4. On 28 May, it became known that Alaksandr Baranaŭ, founder of the cultural space Dalina Aniołaŭ (Valley of Angels) in Mazyr, had been arrested in a politically motivated criminal case. He was detained on 5 January 2026 and placed in pre-trial detention in Homieĺ, where he remains pending trial. Baranaŭ is accused under Article 361-4(1) of the Criminal Code (facilitating extremist activity). The prosecution is linked to the Belaruski Hajun case. On 28 May, human rights defenders recognised Baranaŭ as a political prisoner. He previously chaired the historical and cultural association Spadčyna Paliessia and established the Dalina Aniołaŭ cultural space on the site of a former Cistercian monastery in Mazyr.
II. Detentions and administrative arrests of cultural figures
1. On 21 May, singer Alaksej Chlastoŭ was detained in Minsk and sentenced to 14 days of administrative arrest under Article 19.1 of the Code of Administrative Offences (petty hooliganism). A video recorded before his detention was later posted on his Instagram page, in which he stated that police officers had twice conducted “preventive conversations” with him. Following the 2020 protests, Chlastoŭ was blacklisted and banned from performing in Belarus; he subsequently worked as a taxi driver.
2. On 21 May, it became known that repression against ethnography enthusiasts in Homieĺ was continuing. Three more individuals were punished under administrative charges for participating in the traditional folk celebration Hukannie Viasny (“Calling of Spring”), accused of organising an “unauthorised mass event”.
III. Repression related to Freedom Day celebrations abroad
On 21 May, a new wave of pressure targeted activists, human rights defenders, and cultural figures who had left Belarus due to political persecution and had participated in Freedom Day celebrations in Warsaw and Vilnius on 25 March. Searches were conducted at their registered addresses in Belarus.
IV. Banned books
On 26 May 2026, the authorities added 17 new books to the list of printed publications that “may harm the national interests of the Republic of Belarus.”
Among them were internationally acclaimed works of literature, including:
- The Wild Boys by William S. Burroughs,
- Night Side of the River by Jeanette Winterson,
- The Chestnut Man by Søren Sveistrup,
- Unholy Souls by Han Song,
- Whisper of the Python by Silje Ulstein.
The full list is available here.
V. Designation of cultural organisations’ social media as “extremist”
1. On 21 May, the Facebook page Vesna Books / Vydaŭnictva Viasna was added to the list of “extremist materials”.
2. On 26 May, the Leninski District Court of Brest declared the website and social media pages of the theatre Kryły Chałopa (“Wings of a Peasant”) to be “extremist materials”.