Opposition leader calls for support of political prisoners on jailed activist’s birthday

January 30, Pozirk. Opposition leader Śviatłana Cichanoŭskaja has called for support of Belarusian political prisoners and their families, as jailed opposition activist Eduard Babaryka is celebrating his 34th birthday in prison.

For the fourth year in a row, Babaryka Jr., son of jailed former presidential hopeful Viktar Babaryka, is spending his birthday behind bars in conditions that are unthinkable in the modern world, the politician said on her Telegram channel. Hundreds of dissenters in Belarus face a similar ordeal and “are deliberately and cynically killed by [Alaksandar] Łukašenka’s regime,” she added.

Cichanoŭskaja encourages people to write letters to political prisoners, sharing their stories and spreading information about Belarus. She pledged to keep fighting for political prisoners on the international level and in the media outlets, noting that only joint efforts can ensure their liberation.

Police arrested Eduard and Viktar Babaryka in June 2020, weeks before the August 9 presidential election.

Babaryka Jr. ran the crowdfunding platforms Ulej and MolaMola, and was one of his father’s campaign managers. He was given eight years in prison and his father, 14 years. Human rights groups consider their persecution to be politically motivated.

In December 2023, the Committee for State Security (KGB) and the interior ministry blacklisted Eduard Babaryka as a person involved in terrorist and extremist activities.