Lukashenko's top opponent gets long jail sentence in Belarus

Belarus has handed former presidential contender and ex-banker Viktor Babariko fourteen years in jail. It is one of the stiffest sentences to be imposed on the opposition since the beginning of protests against the country's authoritarian leader Alexander Lukashenko last year. The Supreme Court in the capital Minsk also fined Babariko some $18 million (€15 million). The prosecution had called for 15 years of imprisonment.

The former head of Belgazprombank and half a dozen of the company's top executives were accused of accepting bribes and money laundering. Babariko rejected the charges and described the trial as politically motivated. The other defendants made confessions and received significantly more lenient sentences: from three to six-and-a-half years in jail.

The ex-banker who challenged Lukashenko

When Viktor Babariko suddenly announced that he was resigning from his top bank job in May 2020 and declared his intention to run against Lukashenko in the presidential elections in May 2020, it looked like a revolt of the elites. Prior to that, he had spent 20 years as board chairman of Belgazprombank, the biggest private bank in Belarus, which is controlled by the Russian energy giant Gazprom. Babariko had not revealed any political ambitions in that time. He had demonstrated loyalty towards Lukashenko and enjoyed a reputation as an art lover and patron.

Lukashenko — in office for more than quarter of a century — clearly believed that his re-election was a sure thing. But that changed abruptly following Babariko's announcement that he was entering the election race. He was regarded as the president's strongest challenger and his supporters grew rapidly in number. No reliable polls were conducted at the time. According to diverse estimates, Babariko was either neck and neck with Lukashenko, or possibly even ahead of him.

But the former banker never actually got to run in the election. Babariko and his son and campaign manager Eduard were arrested in June 2020. Some of his political allies also ended up in custody. The most well-known was Maria Kolesnikova — a classical musician and head of Babariko's campaign team. After the ex-financier's arrest, the 39-year-old played a prominent role in the opposition movement both before and after the disputed presidential elections on August 9, 2020. Hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets to protest Lukashenko and his claim to have won the elections. Belarusian police brutally cracked down on the uprising and thousands were arrested. Kolesnikova was arrested in October. She is now facing up to 12 years in prison for charges that include "setting up an extremist group."

In an interview given in custody, Babariko told DW that it was a "de facto war waged by the upper echelons of government, a junta  —  with the support of security services  —  against elements of its own people." He said there was a possibility of "civil war."

EU politicians call for Babariko's release

Exiled former presidential candidate Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya has condemned the court ruling against Babariko. "It is an insane term for someone who went into politics and became one of the leaders who woke the country out of a long sleep," Tsikhanouskaya wrote in her Telegram channel.

Politicians in the European Union are politically sponsoring Babariko and his son. German parliamentarian Peter Heidt (FDP) is among them. Heidt told DW that they want to draw attention to the fate of Viktor Babariko and ensure that he is released from prison. He said the trial against the opposition figure was conducted on "specious grounds."

Petras Austrevicius, a Lithuanian member of the European Parliament, told DW that Babariko had become a "strong competitor" for Lukashenko. The MEP is also taking part in the sponsorship program. "Babariko has become a symbol, " he says. Babariko is a "political prisoner" and "a disgrace for the regime in Minsk," according to Austrevicius.

Is a new opposition party waiting in the wings?

Babariko is unable to appeal against his 14-year sentence. The 57-year-old is not permitted to do so because his case was brought directly before the Supreme Court rather than going to a lower court first. Nevertheless, his defense team aims to investigate all possible avenues, including lodging a complaint with the UN Human Rights Council, his attorney told us.

During pre-trial custody Babariko initiated the founding of the opposition party Razam ("Together"), designed to harness diverse strands of the opposition. It is unclear, however, whether the authorities will ever register the party or not.