It’s probably an unfamiliar territory for some of you, but the Balkans and Bulgaria in particular, are well aware of oppressive regimes and  stand very  strongly against them at this point. This is precisely why I find it really important to share the story of Dymna Lotva,  a post-black metal band from Belarus , now residing in Poland, whose art is officially labeled and considered “extremist” in their homeland. And no, this is neither a joke nor some PR strategy on the band’s part – the official “Republican list of extremist materials” is published by the Belarus Ministry of Information and Belarus Ministry of Culture and is something completely real (the full document is above 1900 pages, with thousands of banned materials).  Below is the band’s own public statement on the situation.

Last week, several of our music and concert videos were officially deemed “extremist” by a court in Belarus. This means that if any of our fans who are still in Belarus liked, reposted, or commented on these videos, and the regime notices it, they could face a real risk of imprisonment because of it. Real laws don’t apply in Belarus, so someone could end up in jail for a single like given several years ago to a video that was added to the extremist list yesterday.

We’re honored to be listed alongside the best Belarusian artists, writers, and musicians. And to help our fans understand what videos they SHOULDN’T watch, we collected all officially ‘extremist’ content to the special YouTube playlist called ‘Extremist videos. Could the attendees of our performance at Prophecy Productions Fest 2023 have imagined that they were watching a show whose recording would be banned by a court order?

Yes, this all sounds absolutely ridiculous, but this is the reality of our lives. The reality of the lives of Belarusians who have lived under a dictatorship for decades. Four and a half years after our concerts in Belarus were banned and we were forced to flee our homeland, the regime still remembers us. Last year, we received new criminal charges against us, and now our videos became extremist materials.

This means we’re doing the right thing. And this also means that nothing is ended yet. We don’t want to and can’t remain silent. We’re in exile now, but we’re safe. This means that we must speak not only for ourselves, but also for those whose mouths have been silenced by repression. Long live Belarus. Fuck lukashenko, fuck putin, fuck diktatorship.

Take a look at the “extremist” playlist  below:

(screenshot from the  document, published at the official website of the  Ministry of Culture of Belarus)

The court decision is subject to immediate enforcement, meaning the ban takes effect at once, even if appealed. As a result, the distribution, public playback, storage, or online sharing of the listed songs and videos is illegal within Belarus. The band itself is not formally declared an extremist organization, but specific works are banned. In practice, Belarusian authorities use such rulings to restrict cultural expression and to prosecute individuals for dissemination or public interaction with banned content.

In Belarus, even non-political cultural content can carry legal risk once labeled extremist. Awareness and restraint in public and digital spaces significantly reduce exposure to penalties, sо here are some recommendations for people in Belarus (risk awareness) that might help them. The following are general risk-reduction considerations, not legal advice, so be cautious.

Avoid public interaction with banned content: do not share, repost, comment on, or publicly “like” content that has been labeled extremist. Do not store banned materials on devices that could be inspected (phones, laptops, work computers). Avoid public playback (events, bars, cars, social gatherings), which can be treated as distribution. Be cautious on social media and messaging apps: authorities have used likes, saved files, and reposts as evidence. Separate private cultural interests from public profiles: public accounts and channels are more likely to be monitored. Understand escalation risks: repeat cases or evidence of intent can move a case from administrative penalties to criminal charges. If questioned, seek advice from independent lawyers or human-rights organizations familiar with “extremism” cases. 

What’s happening in Belarus must not be considered normal and should be talked about more. Protect yourselves and cherish DYMNA LOTVA.

Support DYMNA LOTVA:
https://linktr.ee/dymnalotva