TALLINN, Estonia — A prominent opposition figure from Belarus, Viktar Babaryka, made a reappearance on Wednesday through a video released by a pro-government blogger after being out of touch with his family for over 700 days. This development comes just weeks preceding an election expected to secure President Alexander Lukashenko’s continuation in power.
Babaryka, aged 61, is currently serving a 14-year sentence in a penal colony and has been denied any contact with his family and legal representatives since his imprisonment. He was barred from joining the 2020 election against Lukashenko, the nation’s authoritarian leader. His last known communication was in February 2023, after which reports from fellow prisoners indicated that he had been hospitalized due to signs of physical abuse. In the time following, no updates about his health were provided, and visits from his legal counsel have been restricted. In response, the European Parliament has called for the release of political prisoners, including Babaryka.
The video was shared by Raman Pratasevich, a former opposition journalist who switched loyalties after his own arrest. He posted photos, along with a brief clip in which Babaryka appeared to speak to his family. However, the timing and circumstances surrounding the footage were unclear, and independent verification was not possible.
In the video, Babaryka appeared notably thinner than during previous sightings. He was seen wearing a prison uniform highlighted with a yellow tag indicating his status as a political prisoner, which subjects him to particularly harsh treatment within the penal system.
Pavel Sapelka from the Viasna Human Rights Center remarked that the video’s release was likely timed to coincide with the January 26 presidential election. Lukashenko is campaigning for a seventh term, adding to his over three decades of rule. Sapelka commented that the decision to reveal Babaryka was likely an attempt by the authorities to counter allegations regarding the forced disappearances of political opponents in detention. He described Babaryka’s frail appearance as a stark representation of the oppression ongoing in Belarus, serving as a warning to others who might oppose Lukashenko.
In a similar vein, in November, Pratasevich also released images of Maria Kolesnikova, another key opposition figure detained for over 20 months without contact with the outside world.
According to Viasna, Babaryka is one among a staggering 1,258 political prisoners currently in Belarus. Many top opposition leaders have faced imprisonment or have fled the country amidst a brutal crackdown following the disputed 2020 election. Protests against alleged voter fraud led to widespread arrests, with approximately 65,000 detained and countless others suffering from police violence. Reports indicate that at least seven political prisoners have lost their lives while in custody.
Numerous opposition activists, similar to Babaryka, continue to be held in isolation with no means of communication. Although Lukashenko offered pardons to some political prisoners last year, a fresh wave of arrests has occurred as the government aims to eradicate any signs of dissent in the lead-up to the election.
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, the opposition leader currently in exile, expressed relief at Babaryka’s evident survival and called on authorities to release information about others who remain silent in detention, including her own husband, activist Siarhei Tsikhanouski. She asserted the need to advocate for all those held in isolation and criticized the inhumane practice of keeping prisoners uncommunicative.
Pratasevich was known for running a popular Telegram channel during the 2020 protests. He was detained in 2021 after authorities diverted a Ryanair flight he was on to Minsk, claiming a bomb threat. His subsequent appearances on state television, in which he appeared to confess, have been criticized as being made under coercive circumstances. He was later released and officially pardoned.
Sapelka noted that Pratasevich has essentially become a hostage, forced to comply with the directives of the Belarusian authorities.
