He was arrested while working for his father’s presidential campaign and is being tried by a court in Belarus on charges of tax evasion and complicity in inciting riots. He denies the allegations.
Viktor Babaryko himself was sentenced in 2021 to 14 years in prison accused of corruption.
Human rights lawyer Pavel Sapelka tells the BBC that Eduard Babaryko’s long sentence is not surprising, as defendants in politically motivated cases risk extremely long sentences. Especially if the accused is the son of one of Lukashenko’s most successful rivals in the presidential election.