Belarus' Januškevič Publishing House receives 2024 AAP International Freedom to Publish Award

The Association of American Publishers (AAP) has awarded Januškevič Publishing House, a Belarusian publisher which now operates from Poland, the 2024 AAP International Freedom to Publish Award.

The award recognises a publisher outside of the US who has demonstrated "courage and fortitude in defending freedom of expression". 

Januškevič Publishing House has been publishing and selling fiction, non-fiction and historical books in the Belarusian language for a decade, but most independent publishing houses in Belarus were forced to close in the latter half of 2020.

The publishing house’s founder, Andrej Januškevič, was arrested for selling books in Belarusian in 2022, and imprisoned for 28 days. Later that year, he was forced to flee to Poland, where his publishing house continued to publish materials for the Belarusian market. 

Last year, Belarusian authorities revoked Januškevič’s publishing license, which publishers are required to have in Belarus. 

“We are honoured to accept AAP’s Freedom to Publish Award, and we are thankful for the acknowledgment of our work in Belarus and in exile,” Januškevič said. “The Belarusian language illuminates our culture and heritage, and together with our friends and colleagues at other houses that have seen their licenses revoked—including Limaryus, Knihazbor, Haliyafy, Medysont and Zmicier Kolas—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.”

Readers can now access the publishing house’s titles as e-books across the world or by purchasing physical copies of the books in Poland.

Maria A Pallante, president and c.e.o. of the Association of American Publishers, added: “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.”