{"id":182537,"date":"2026-04-07T10:38:44","date_gmt":"2026-04-07T07:38:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/182537\/"},"modified":"2026-04-07T11:59:35","modified_gmt":"2026-04-07T08:59:35","slug":"reprisals-banned-books-blacklisted-expat-communities-outlawed-rights-group","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/182537\/","title":{"rendered":"Reprisals: banned books, blacklisted expat communities, outlawed rights group"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

April 7, Pozirk.<\/em><\/strong> The new cases of politically-motivated persecution documented in Belarus from April 4 to 6 include an \u201cextremist\u201d group designation for the Belarusian Helsinki Committee and several banned books.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Belarusian censors blacklisted a crime story by Kami\u0142a Cie\u0144, two other contemporary novels by Maks \u0160\u010dur and Makar Va\u0142ynkin, as well as a collection of history articles by Alaksandar \u0106vikievi\u010d, a Stalinist repression victim who perished in 1937. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Additionally, authorities branded knihi.by<\/em> along with its Instagram page as extremist content. The moves appear to be a part of an ongoing crackdown on publishers and book distributors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The information ministry also announced extremist content designations for a Facebook group of Belarusian expats in Florida; americanbelarusfoundation<\/em>, pahoniapobac<\/em>, byaction_us<\/em> and Belarusian Miracle<\/em> on Instagram, among others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a separate development, a judge in Homiel sentenced U\u0142adzimir \u010cury\u0142a, chief engineer at the Mazyr oil refinery, and Homiel businessman Viktar Varvanovi\u010d to restricted freedom on extremism-related charges, the Homiel branch of the Viasna Human Rights Center reported.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At least 2,020 NGOs, including associations, trade unions and foundations, were dissolved between the 2020 presidential election and March 31, 2026, Lawtrend said in a recent report.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A total of 4,570 people have been deprived of their freedom for political reasons since May 2020, Viasna said. Authorities continue relentless persecution of dissidents, opposition figures, protest participants, journalists and human rights activists, despite the recent pardons negotiated by Washington.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As of April 7, human rights defenders identified at least 906 political prisoners, but the real number is considerably higher because many cases go undocumented.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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