MINSK -- Eduard Babaryka, the son of former would-be Belarusian presidential candidate Viktar Babaryka, has gone on trial in Minsk while the whereabouts of his father, who was sentenced to 14 years in prison in 2021, remain unknown.
The Minsk regional court started the trial on May 22, almost three years after Eduard Babaryka's arrest.
Eduard Babaryka, who along with his father was arrested in June 2020, is charged with tax evasion, money laundering, assisting the organization of mass disorder, and inciting hatred. He rejects all charges as politically motivated.
If found guilty, Eduard Babaryka faces up to 20 years in prison.
Eduard Babaryka was a member of his father's election campaign staff when the two were arrested two months before the disputed presidential vote.
In July 2021, the 59-year-old Viktar Babaryka, the former head of the Russian-owned Belgazprombank, was sentenced to 14 years in prison on charges of bribe taking and money laundering that he and his supporters have called political retribution for challenging authoritarian ruler Alyaksandr Lukashenka.
Last month, the Telegram channel Rabochy Rukh (Labor Movement) quoted sources as saying that Viktar Babaryka was rushed from prison to a hospital in the northern city of Navapolatsk with pneumothorax (a collapsed lung) and signs of multiple beatings. His exact whereabouts has been unknown since late April.
The Crisis In Belarus
Read our coverage as Belarusian strongman Alyaksandr Lukashenka continues his brutal crackdown on NGOs, activists, and independent media following the August 2020 presidential election.
Lukashenka was declared the victor of the August 2020 election, triggering protests by tens of thousands of Belarusians who say the balloting was rigged. The demonstrations lasted for months as Belarusians demanded Lukashenka, in power since 1994, step down and hold fresh elections.
At Lukashenka's direction, security officials cracked down hard on demonstrators, arresting thousands and pushing most leading opposition figures out of the country.
Several protesters have been killed in the violence and rights organizations say there is credible evidence of torture being used against some of those detained.
Lukashenka denies voter fraud and has refused to negotiate with the opposition led by Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya, who supporters say actually won the August 2020 election.
The European Union, United States, Canada, and other countries have refused to recognize Lukashenka, 68, as the legitimate leader of Belarus and have slapped him and senior Belarusian officials with sanctions in response to the “falsification” of the vote and postelection crackdown.