The Belarusian authorities have for the first time in a long while shown Viktor Babariko to the public. The banker, who announced his candidacy for the presidency in 2020, has since been imprisoned on fabricated charges of bribery and money laundering.
In the penal colony, he was completely cut off from the outside world - there was no information about him for about a year and a half. This sparked rumors that Babariko might no longer be alive.
Videos and photos of the opposition politician were published on the channel of Roman Protasevich, a former independent journalist who was forcibly returned to his homeland and has since been used by Belarusian propaganda.
In a short video recorded in a room at the Novopolotsk colony, Viktor Babariko addresses his family: "I want her (my granddaughter) to grow up to be a wonderful girl, like you (my daughter). And I am sure that she truly has a unique opportunity in these relationships, that’s true. I hope that all the holidays to come, including Father's Day, you will celebrate together and convey my best wishes and regards to everyone from me. I love you all very much. Wishing you all the best."
In July 2021, Babariko was sentenced to 14 years in prison.
Local media reported that in February 2023, the authorities ordered that the conditions of the politician's detention be made as strict as possible. He was no longer allowed to see his lawyer. Human rights defenders reported that in April of the same year, the politician was taken from the colony to the hospital and was in the surgical department in a serious condition.
Other opposition figures are held under similar conditions in Belarusian prisons, including Sergei Tikhanovsky, Nikolai Statkevich, Igor Losik, and Maxim Znakh.