Tekhnalogiya Publishing House has been declared an “extremist organization.” The relevant entry has appeared in the list of “extremist formations” maintained by the Interior Ministry.
According to the list, the Tekhnalogiya Research and Production Cooperative was declared an extremist organization by the Minsk Economic Court on June 10. The entry was added to the list today.
In April this year, the Ministry of Information suspended the certificate allowing the Tekhnalogiya Research and Production Cooperative to distribute printed publications.
In February, Minsk saw mass detentions of publishers and book distributors. Among those detained were the publishing house’s founder Vatslau Bahdanovich, his wife Alena and daughters Antanina and Viktoryia. Later, everyone except Viktoryia Bahdanovich was released. The publishing house’s editor-in-chief Dzmitry Sanko was also detained.
On March 3, the KGB declared an “extremist formation” the “Coalition of Print Publishers: Kamunikat.org Foundation, Lohvinau Publishing House, Andrei Yanushkevich Publishing.” Vatslau Bahdanovich was listed among those involved in the “formation.”
The Tekhnalogiya Research and Production Cooperative was founded in 1988 and became the first private publishing house in Belarus. Its main areas of activity are book publishing (scientific, popular science, reference and literary works in various languages), printing (books, brochures, forms, booklets, prospectuses and calendars) and the supply of medical equipment.
It should be recalled that extremism charges in Belarus are used to persecute opponents of Lukashenka and dissent more broadly.