Where Did Viktar Babaryka Disappear?
- 18.06.2023, 9:35
The politician was arrested exactly three years ago.
Banker and politician Viktar Babaryka was going to run in the 2020 presidential election. He was probably the most popular candidate. On June 18, 2020, he and his son were detained by the Department of Financial Investigations. A year later, he was sentenced to 14 years in prison. His son is under trial right now, and Viktar Babaryka himself disappeared after the rumors that he had been beaten, Belsat reports.
What is happening with Babaryka now is unknown. But it is known how he was tortured.
Nothing has been heard from Viktar Babaryka, as well as from a number of other political prisoners, for a long time — relatives and family members are not allowed to see him, letters from him do not come. No one has had any information related to his whereabouts for more than 50 days. He was not brought to the trial of his son, although Eduard filed a petition to call his father as a witness, and state media wrote that Viktar was even approved on the list of witnesses.
On April 26, 2023, there were rumors that the day before, Babaryka was admitted to the hospital in a moderate condition after being beaten, that he had pneumothorax (accumulation of air between the chest wall and the lung). It was alleged that the doctors did not immediately recognize him. Former political prisoner Aliaksandr Kabanau learned from his sources that Babaryka could have a broken rib and a punctured lung as a result of the beating.
“The most important thing is that, in the opinion of those who are there, a command has been given from above to tighten the regime for keeping such iconic figures to the maximum, to start treating them harshly,” Kabanau argued.
The doctors told Belsat that Babaryka had been given a drainage device. After the news about Babaryka's condition, mass layoffs of doctors began, which was possibly related to the leak of information about the condition of the political prisoner.
Belarusian and foreign politicians, including experts from the United Nations Organization, call on the authorities to, if not release Viktar Babaryka, then at least tell about his condition. In the meantime, the authorities almost do not react to the attention to Babaryka's condition, and when they do, they only say that he is “alive and well”.
Viktar and Eduard Babaryka, as well as many political prisoners, were subjected to special pressure in captivity before. Viktar Babaryka was forced to wear a yellow tag “prone to seizing power”, was placed in a punishment cell for allegedly “talking in raised tones”. He was put on a record for a scratched window sill. For any contacts with Babaryka, prisoners of the colony face a punishment cell, Kabanau said. Lawyers who defended Babaryka were deprived of their licenses.
Before the alleged beating of Babaryka in the Navapolatsk colony, he worked on burning charcoal. The full working day of the political prisoner lasted 9 hours. As a result, he worked 6 days a week outside, without access to a room where he could warm up during his shift. Prior to that, he worked as a bakery stacker — the premises where he worked had no ventilation, and the temperature exceeded 30 degrees. At some point, he was paid 1,60 ruble 60 a month for his work, later they raised his salary to 50 rubles.
Former political prisoner Vadzim Khizhnyakou, who served his term together with Babaryka in the Navapolatsk colony, said that Babaryka was offered to call on people to stop the protests, speak well about Vaskrasensky and support Russia, but Babaryka refused, for which he is now suffering.
Kabanau, on the other hand, believed that the only thing the society could do in this situation was to talk about executioners in prisons.