Viktar Babaryka

Viktar Dzmitryevich Babaryka (Belarusian: Віктар Дзмітрыевіч Бабарыка or Viktor Dmitryevich Babariko; born 9 November 1963) is a Belarusian banker, philanthropist, public and opposition political figure who intended to become a candidate in the 2020 Belarusian presidential election.

Although official polls were heavily censored by the government of incumbent president Alexander Lukashenko, who was running for re-election, independent polls established Babaryka as the early favorite for the 2020 president election. In June of that year, Babryka was detained by the Belarusian government over charges of "illegal [financial] activities", leading his candidacy to be rejected the next month and to a 14 years-prison sentence for bribery and tax evasion in January 2021; the charges are considered to be politically motivated, and he is perceived as a political prisoner.

Many collaborators of Babaryka were also detained or sentenced around the same time, including his son Eduard who serves a 8-year prison sentence since July 2023; some fled the country to avoid repercussions. In April 2023, Babaryka was severely injured, allegedly by prison security, and disappeared four days later; although Belarus officials claim that Babaryka is "alive and healthy", this has been characterised as an enforced disappearance from the Belarusian government.