November 9, Pozirk. Former presidential hopeful Viktar Babaryka has turned 62 today, marking his fifth birthday behind bars.
Between summer of 2022 and the spring of 2023, Babaryka faced ill-treatment at a penal colony in Viciebsk region’s Navapołack, former prisoner Ihar Łosik, pardoned two months ago, said on Facebook.
No one was reportedly allowed to speak to Babaryka under threat of being sent to a punishment cell for 10 days.
“When I arrived, he worked at the prison bakery. A group of handpicked inmates accompanied him everywhere, both in the unit and at work, monitoring his every move and rushing to report to the guards. Still, some people weren’t afraid to talk to him or share tea, even though he always warned them about the consequences,” Łosik said.
Babaryka was frequently sent to a punishment cell, which was very cold during the winter and had mentally unstable inmates placed there with him, he added.
In 2024, Łosik caught a glimpse of Babaryka, who had lost a lot of weight.
Jailed banker-turned-politician was allowed to address his family in January this year after being held incommunicado for 18 months. He was given 14 years in prison in a case widely seen as politically motivated because he was arrested as his presidential campaign was gaining momentum in 2020.
In April 2023, he was reportedly admitted to the hospital with signs of beating and pneumothorax.
