The banning of books in Belarus is a tool of political censorship and systemic repression that violates both national and international law.
There are three types of banned book lists in Belarus: two official ones and one informal list, which does not exist publicly but is well known to libraries and bookstores, who know which authors cannot be made available. It is shaped through denunciations, visits from state ideologues, and self-censorship.
This is a system of non-public bans operating entirely outside any legal framework. It does not rely on official lists or court decisions. Instead, it functions through verbal orders, anonymous “commissions,” and an atmosphere of all-pervasive fear. It is a “phantom list” that cannot be challenged, because formally it does not exist. Books simply disappear from library and bookstore shelves, from school curricula and prison libraries, leaving no paper trail.
This mechanism is a deliberate state policy aimed at cleansing the cultural and intellectual space of the country. Its goal is to erase alternative historical narratives, suppress national identity, silence critical voices, and — most importantly — instill deep self-censorship, where fear becomes an internal editor for every writer, publisher, and even reader.
We have prepared a separate report to examine where and how this censorship operates, which books and authors fall victim to it, and what consequences it brings for Belarusian society. You can read it here.