Former Belarusian Banker, Would-Be Presidential Candidate To Face Trial On February 17

MINSK — Viktar Babaryka, a former Belarusian banker whose bid to challenge Alyaksandr Lukashenka in last year’s disputed presidential election was halted by his arrest, is due to go on trial on February 17. The announcement on Babaryka’s Telegram channel on February 4 came shortly after a preliminary hearing at a district court in Minsk earlier in the day at which Babaryka was not present.

Several co-defendants were in court, including six men, who made deals with investigators in hopes of facing lesser charges. The court case is due to be heard by the Belarusian Supreme Court, a move that was criticized last week by Babaryka’s lawyer, Dzmitry Layeuski, who said that would deny them any chance of appeal in the