Belarusian Author Martinovych Refuses Exile Amidst Book Bans and University Crackdown
Translated from German, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.
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- Belarusian author Viktor Martinovych continues to publish abroad despite his works being banned in Belarus.
- Martinovych recently resigned from his professorship at the European Humanities University in Vilnius after it was declared an extremist organization by Belarus's Supreme Court.
- The author refuses to go into exile, facing potential prison time for his association with the university.
Belarusian author Viktor Martinovych faces a difficult reality where his acclaimed works, including his latest novel "Das Gute siegt" (The Good Wins), are banned in his home country. Despite this, Martinovych, who has penned eight novels and several plays, refuses to leave Belarus.
His situation has become even more precarious following the Belarusian Supreme Court's declaration on April 16, 2026, that the European Humanities University in Vilnius, where he held an extraordinary professorship, is an "extremist organization." Association with such an entity can lead to up to six years in prison, forcing Martinovych to resign his academic post.
The interview, conducted in March 2026 in Vilnius, predates this significant development. Martinovych's continued presence in Belarus, coupled with the state's suppression of artistic expression, highlights the challenges faced by artists and intellectuals under the current regime.
DistantNews Editorial
Originally published by Die Zeit in German. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.
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