The Association of American Publishers (AAP) has awarded Januškevič Publishing House, the Belarusian publisher now headquartered operating in Poland, its 2024 International Freedom to Publish Award. The annual award recognizes a publisher operating outside of the United States that has demonstrated "courage and fortitude" in defending the freedom of expression.
"We are honored to accept AAP’s Freedom to Publish Award, and we are thankful for the acknowledgment of our work in Belarus and in exile," said Andrej Januškevič, founder of Januškevič Publishing House, in a statement. "The Belarusian language illuminates our culture and heritage, and together with our friends and colleagues at other houses that have seen their licenses revoked... We vow to keep that light alive in hopes that it may serve as a beacon, giving comfort to citizens of our homeland, and hope to those who must live in exile."
Januškevič launched in 2014, publishing fiction and nonfiction in the endangered Belarusian language. It has found itself increasingly under fire from the Belarusian government over the past decade, as the heavily contested administration of Alyaksandr Lukashenka—whose sixth term, which began in 2020, is not recognized by the European parliament or the governments of the U.S., U.K., or Canada, among others—became ever more characterized by Russian influence.
In 2022, founder Januškevič was arrested for selling books and imprisoned for 28 days, forcing Januškevič to flee to Poland. There, the publishing house continued to publish materials for the Belarusian market until 2023, when Belarus revoked its publishing license, which the Belarusian government requires publishing houses to obtain in order to publish in the country. (Other independent publishers whose licenses have been revoked by the Belarusian Ministry of Information include Haliyafy, Knihazbor, Limaryus, Medysont, and Zmicier Kolas.)
"This year we recognize a publishing house of extraordinary persistence and courage," said Maria A. Pallante, president and CEO of the AAP, in a statement. "The leaders of Januškevič Publishing House have braved censorship, suffered incarceration, and endured exile, all in service of their mission to provide readers with literature in the Belarusian language. Together, the Board, membership, and staff of the AAP applaud Januškevič for preserving and celebrating a language that has long been under attack, and for demonstrating why the freedom to publish is an essential element of democratic society."
Januškevič continues to publish physical books and e-books in the Belarusian from Poland. Among its titles deemed "extremist" by the Belarusian government are The Dogs of Europe by Alhierd Bacharevič and the illustrated children’s book The Ballad of the Little Tugboat by Joseph Brodsky.
