Suspension of Belarusian Harry Potter Publication Due to Western Sanctions

An independent Belarusian publisher in exile has reported that the British publisher of the Harry Potter books has refused to cooperate with them. This decision was made due to sanctions imposed against the Belarusian government by Western countries. Andrei Yanushkevich, head of Yanushkevich Publishing, who registered a branch of this publishing house in Poland after fleeing Belarus in early 2023, told Radio Free Europe on July 3: "Despite numerous efforts, we could not reach an agreement with the rights holders of the books. They do not want to have any connection with anything related to Belarus as long as the sanctions are in place." The cover of the Belarusian translation of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets was published in 2020. Between 2019 and 2021, Yanushkevich Publishing published three volumes of the Harry Potter books by J.K. Rowling in Belarusian. However, after the 2020 presidential elections and the widespread protests that followed, the political and cultural atmosphere in the country became increasingly tense. In September 2020, the Belarusian customs service asked the publisher to officially confirm that the content of the Harry Potter books did not include calls for the overthrow of the government. This request from the Belarusian government led to protests, with demonstrators sharing images of Harry Potter characters battling Alexander Lukashenko, the President of Belarus. In 2022, following the confiscation of equipment and the closure of Yanushkevich Publishing's bank accounts by the Belarusian government, the situation for this publisher worsened, and their bookstore was vandalized and shut down. Andrei Yanushkevich and his colleague Nasta Karnatskaya were sentenced to 28 days in prison, and after 23 days and their release from prison, they fled the country and sought asylum in Poland. Yanushkevich began to revive his publishing activities in Poland and attempted to publish the remaining four volumes of the Harry Potter series. However, in recent developments, Blair Partnership, the rights holder of the books, announced on July 2 that it had suspended its cooperation with Yanushkevich Publishing due to the sanctions imposed against Belarus. According to Mr. Yanushkevich, despite Yanushkevich Publishing being registered in Poland, Blair Partnership has refused to reconsider its decision. Blair Partnership responded to Radio Free Europe's email, stating that it needs more time to provide an official comment on the suspension of its cooperation with this Belarusian publisher. Yanushkevich expressed hope that J.K. Rowling, the author of the series, could influence Blair Partnership's reconsideration if she becomes aware of this situation.