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Belarus sentences Viktor Babariko to 14 years

July 6, 2021

A Minsk court has found Belarusian opposition figure Viktor Babariko guilty of bribery and tax evasion and sentenced him to 14 years in prison.

https://p.dw.com/p/3w4wq
Viktor Babariko, former head of Belgazprombank and challenger in the 2020 presidential election, at the start of his trial in Minsk in February
Viktor Babariko, former head of Belgazprombank and challenger in the 2020 presidential election, at the start of his trial in Minsk in FebruaryImage: BelTA/REUTERS

More than a year after Belarusian opposition figure Viktor Babariko was arrested en route to register his presidential candidacy, a Minsk court sentenced him to 14 years in jail Tuesday.

Officially, Belarusian prosecutors accused Babariko of money laundering, bribery and tax evasion, which he denies.

Since the trial opened in February, Babariko has called his persecution an effort to silence him.

A protester is detained after the Belarusian election commission refused to register Viktor Babariko and Valery Tsepkalo as candidates in July of last year
A protester is detained after the Belarusian election commission refused to register Viktor Babariko and Valery Tsepkalo as candidates in July of last yearImage: Reuters/V. Fedosenko

The US Embassy in Minsk put out a statement via tweet calling the court's decision a "cruel sham" that shows the "regime will stop at nothing to keep power." 

Who is Viktor Babariko?

The 57-year-old is a prominent banker with Belgazprombank, a lender that is a subsidiary of Russia's state-owned Gazprom. Babariko was widely considered to be the most promising opponent of Lukashenko before last year's contested presidential election.

Weeks before the scheduled vote last August, Babariko was with his son and headed to the election commission to hand in signatures in support of his candidacy when he was arrested.

Belarusian strongman President Aleksander Lukashenko, considered the last dictator in Europe, had openly called for the country's authorities to act against his political opposition.

At the time of his arrest, Lukashenko had called Babariko a "rascal" who would fail at his act of victim and political prisoner.

With no friends or allies in the West, Belarusian strong man Aleksander Lukashenko has turned east to Moscow to help him maintain his grip on power
With no friends or allies in the West, Belarusian strong man Aleksander Lukashenko has turned east to Moscow to help him maintain his grip on powerImage: Sergei Ilyin/Sputnik/Kremlin Pool Photo/AP/picture alliance

A contested election that spawned hundreds of political prisoners

Lukashenko is no longer recognized by the EU as the legitimate ruler of Belarus

The presidential election last August is widely viewed as a rigged effort to re-elect Lukashenko. Instead of cementing his control on Belarus, the situation in the country has spiraled out of control ever since.

The contested election sparked mass protests involving hundreds of thousands of Belarusians across the country. Tens of thousands were temporarily arrested, beaten and detained, with hundreds injured and several killed.

At present, it is believed there are 400 political prisoners in Belarusian jails.

ar/rt (dpa, Reuters)