The long-awaited sighting of opposition politician Viktor Babaryko, who has been detained for over 630 days, raises concerns about political repression and the upcoming presidential elections in Belarus.
Jailed Belarus Opposition Leader Viktor Babaryko Spotted After Two-Year Absence
Jailed Belarus Opposition Leader Viktor Babaryko Spotted After Two-Year Absence
First images of Viktor Babaryko emerge amid ongoing political turmoil in Belarus.
In a moment of relief for supporters, the first images of Viktor Babaryko, the imprisoned Belarusian opposition leader, have surfaced after more than 630 days of silence. Babaryko’s political team expressed their joy with the phrase "Babaryko is alive!" upon viewing the footage, which features the former banker sending greetings to his family during his ongoing detention.
Babaryko was arrested in 2020 while seeking to challenge Alexander Lukashenko, the authoritarian ruler of Belarus, in the presidential elections. Since then, he has reportedly been kept incommunicado, a situation his team describes as "torturous." The newly released video shows him dressed in black prison attire, visibly thinner, and writing letters to his family.
In addition to Babaryko, other prominent political prisoners in Belarus, like Maria Kolesnikova, have suffered similar fates, with reports indicating that they are also being held without contact with the outside world. Kolesnikova became a prominent figure in protests against the government after Babaryko's arrest, and her situation remains largely unknown since her last sighting in November 2021.
The recent release of Babaryko’s images has been attributed to Roman Protasevich, a co-founder of the Nexta Telegram channel, who was previously arrested after a Ryanair flight was diverted to Belarus. Protasevich now collaborates with the authorities following his release and has shared that Babaryko appeared cheerful during their brief interaction.
These developments come ahead of Belarus’s upcoming presidential elections on January 26, during which no legitimate opposition candidates are set to compete. Observers have suggested that the government may be pressuring political prisoners to seek pardons from Lukashenko, in a bid to portray a façade of leniency.
Currently, the human rights organization Viasna reports an alarming total of 1,258 political prisoners in Belarus, amidst a systematic crackdown on dissent. Throughout the country, voices of opposition, including those of Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, now in exile, continue to decry the electoral process as a mere "performance" orchestrated by Lukashenko to maintain power.
Babaryko was arrested in 2020 while seeking to challenge Alexander Lukashenko, the authoritarian ruler of Belarus, in the presidential elections. Since then, he has reportedly been kept incommunicado, a situation his team describes as "torturous." The newly released video shows him dressed in black prison attire, visibly thinner, and writing letters to his family.
In addition to Babaryko, other prominent political prisoners in Belarus, like Maria Kolesnikova, have suffered similar fates, with reports indicating that they are also being held without contact with the outside world. Kolesnikova became a prominent figure in protests against the government after Babaryko's arrest, and her situation remains largely unknown since her last sighting in November 2021.
The recent release of Babaryko’s images has been attributed to Roman Protasevich, a co-founder of the Nexta Telegram channel, who was previously arrested after a Ryanair flight was diverted to Belarus. Protasevich now collaborates with the authorities following his release and has shared that Babaryko appeared cheerful during their brief interaction.
These developments come ahead of Belarus’s upcoming presidential elections on January 26, during which no legitimate opposition candidates are set to compete. Observers have suggested that the government may be pressuring political prisoners to seek pardons from Lukashenko, in a bid to portray a façade of leniency.
Currently, the human rights organization Viasna reports an alarming total of 1,258 political prisoners in Belarus, amidst a systematic crackdown on dissent. Throughout the country, voices of opposition, including those of Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, now in exile, continue to decry the electoral process as a mere "performance" orchestrated by Lukashenko to maintain power.
