Publisher Andrei Yanushkevich shortlisted for Prix Voltaire 2024

The International Publishers Association (IPA) has announced the shortlist for the Prix Voltaire 2024 award for exceptional courage in defending publishing freedom.

This year's shortlist includes five individuals and organizations that have shown resilience and courage in the face of censorship and repression. Belarusian publisher Andrei Yanushkevich is one of them, writes Belarusian PEN.

The Lukashenka regime has persecuted Yanushkevich: his publishing house has been denied rent, his bookstore "Knihauka" was closed on its first day of operation, and his books have been labeled "extremist. 
Yanushkevich himself and his employees were arrested on false charges, and the publishing house was finally stripped of its license.

In 2023, Yanushkevich was forced to move to Poland, where he continued his publishing activities and opened a bookstore in Warsaw.

The award ceremony will take place in December 2024.