Two Belarusian publishers, forced to leave their country due to repression, have been awarded the prestigious Prix Voltaire, which honors defenders of freedom of expression. This information was announced by the International Publishers Association (IPA) on its official website.
The laureates are Dmytro Strotsev and Nadya Kandrusyevich. Dmytro, a poet and publisher, was arrested and briefly detained during the mass protests of 2020 against Alexander Lukashenko’s regime. He currently lives in Berlin.
Nadya Kandrusyevich founded the children’s publishing house Koska, whose books were confiscated and office closed due to pressure from Belarusian security forces. She now resides in Poland.
Both laureates were recognized for their personal risk and significant contribution to preserving the Belarusian language and culture. They shared a cash prize of 10,000 Swiss francs (approximately 12,200 US dollars).
62-year-old Dmytro Strotsev noted that the protests five years ago became a catalyst for poetic creativity in Belarus, as people demanded Lukashenko’s resignation, who has ruled the country since 1994.
However, with the intensification of repression, poets began removing their works from the internet, fearing for their safety and the safety of those who leave comments or likes.
Strotsev recounted that in October 2020, he was arrested by KGB officers, handcuffed, placed in a van with a bag over his head, interrogated, and sentenced to two weeks in detention for participating in an unauthorized protest. After his release, he was briefly detained two more times and later forced to leave the country.
In Berlin, Dmytro founded the Hochroth Minsk publishing house, which became a platform for Belarusian poets.
“It was very important for me to present to Belarusians and the world this polyphony, this one great symphonic choral work. I left Belarus with this purpose.”
– Dmytro Strotsev
Nadya Kandrusyevich emphasized the importance of publishing and translating children’s books as a means of shaping consciousness, opening hearts, and building bridges between cultures.
“This recognition confirms not only the importance of publishing and translating books for children but also the belief in the quiet power of words – to shape consciousness, open hearts, and build bridges between languages, cultures, and generations.”
– Nadya Kandrusyevich
Both laureates dedicate their work to promoting the Belarusian language. Strotsev also publishes poets who write in Belarusian but use Russian, Yiddish, Polish, and even Norwegian languages.
He stresses that the Russian language has dominated Belarus since Soviet times, so speaking and writing in the native language is already an act of resistance.
“My mission is to constantly bear witness to this language and culture, because if everything remains as it is, there will be no Belarusian language left in Belarus.”
– Dmytro Strotsev
Prix Voltaire is an international award for publishers, organizations, or individuals who defend freedom of publishing despite threats, intimidation, and repression.
In 2023, a special award was given to Ukrainian children’s writer and volunteer Volodymyr Vakulenko, who died during the Russian occupation of the Kharkiv region. In 2024, Victoria Amelina was posthumously honored after discovering Vakulenko’s diary kept during the early days of the invasion.