Belarusian authorities jail son of Lukashenko’s political rival, also in prison

Eduard Babariko is sentenced to eight years in prison for tax evasion and complicity in organizing protests

July 6 () –

The Belarusian authorities have imprisoned opposition activist Eduard Babariko, son of Viktor Babariko, who has been in prison since 2021 and who was also sentenced to 14 years in prison for alleged corruption offences.

Eduard Babariko has been sentenced to eight years in prison for tax evasion and complicity in organizing protests, although he has denied these accusations, as reported by the BBC.

According to what the human rights lawyer Pavel Sapelka told the chain, this sentence does not come as a surprise because all “politically motivated criminal cases” have a risk of long sentences, and even more so in the case of the “son of one of the most successful in the presidential elections” of the Belarusian president, Alexander Lukashenko.

Viktor Babariko, was hospitalized in April after being beaten in prison, and since then there have been no updates on his health or communication with his relatives.

On the other hand, the Belarusian opposition leader Svetlana Tijanovskaya has assured that it is an attempt to seek revenge for the candidacy of the father of the recently imprisoned man.