Viktor Babariko is free

Former Belarusian presidential candidate Viktor Babariko, who served a 14-year sentence, has been released. Belarusian media reported this.

Viktor Babariko’s son, Eduard, was not released and continues to serve his sentence. Viktor Babariko himself announced this in his first brief comment after his release. According to him, 35-year-old Eduard Babariko was not subject to a mass pardon.

The Telegram channel “Pool of the First,” associated with Lukashenko’s press service, reports that it has decided to pardon “123 citizens of various countries” in exchange for the lifting of sanctions on Belarusian potassium. It was also previously reported that political prisoners Maria Kolesnikova and Ales Bialiatski were released ( 1 , 2 ).

Viktor Babariko is a Belarusian banker and politician, former chairman of the board of Belgazprombank, one of the most popular opposition candidates in the 2020 presidential elections.

In June 2020, while collecting signatures for presidential nomination, Babariko was detained. He was accused of financial crimes, including tax evasion, money laundering and bribery.

In July 2021, the court sentenced Viktor Babariko to 14 years in prison. The authorities stated that the sentence was related solely to economic crimes, but the Belarusian opposition, human rights activists and international organizations consider him a political prisoner and link the criminal case to his participation in the elections and criticism of Alexander Lukashenko.