February 23, Pozirk. The Committee for State Security (KGB) has designated Gutenberg Publisher, a Krakow-based publisher of Belarusian books, as an extremist group amid a wider crackdown on Belarusian-language initiatives. The KGB took the decision on February 16 and blacklisted the publisher on February 23.
It has identified Valancina Andrejeŭ, editor in chief, and Illa Andrejeŭ, head of imago.by, as individuals associated with the company.
“I am shocked,” Valancina Andrejeŭ wrote on Facebook. “I will not be putting my brave face on: I am sick of this news.”
Gutenberg Publisher released a Belarusian translation of George Orwell’s 1984, Каласы пад сярпом тваім (Ears of Rye Under Your Sickle) by Uładzimir Karatkievič, a collection of works by Andrej Skurko, a former senior executive with Naša Niva who spend time in prison on politically-motivated charges, and novels by Saša Filipenka banned for sale as “extremist.”
Meanwhile, the interior ministry blacklisted the publisher’s social media accounts as “extremist content.”
In a separate development on February 17 and 18, police in Minsk raided apartments and offices linked to book publishers and distributors, arresting about 10 people, Naša Niva and the Viasna Human Rights Center reported.
“All those arrested have rendered great services to Belarusian culture,” Naša Niva said. Other details are unknown.
Police in Minsk also arrested last week Ihar Kim, a prominent Belarusian language advocate who was involved in an initiative to dub popular movies in Belarusian, and his wife, according to journalist Ihar Łosik.
On February 21, Technalohija, a Minsk-based publisher of books in Belarusian, announced on Facebook its decision to terminate operations without specifying any reasons.
In 2023, the government enacted legislation that empowered the information ministry to suspend and close down publishers without taking disputes to court, a mandatory requirement before.
Many publishers of books in Belarusian have lost their licenses, including Medisont, Halijafy, Limaryjus, Knihazbor and Januškievič. Some of these publishers continue operations in exile.
