Judge ignores Eduard Babaryka’s months in custody – Viasna

July 5, BPN. Judge Uładzimir Areška did not subtract the year and a half spent by Eduard Babaryka in custody from his prison sentence when he found him guilty today, because technically the case was opened only after that time had expired, the Viasna Human Rights Center reports.

The Minsk Regional Court’s judge sentenced the son of former presidential hopeful Viktar Babaryka to eight years in prison on charges denounced by rights activists as politically motivated.

State Control Committee officers arrested Eduard and Viktar in June 2020, weeks before the August 9 presidential election.

The Minsk Regional Court began hearing the case against Eduard in May. He pleaded not guilty to charges of corruption, staging mass riots and incitement to hatred.

The Supreme Court sentenced Viktar Babaryka to 14 years in prison on corruption charges, which he denied, in July 2021. His whereabouts have been unknown for months.