Ex-Belarus presidential hopeful jailed for 14 years

Viktor Babariko, ex-chief of a Russia-owned bank, aspired to challenge Lukashenko in last year’s disputed election.

A former contender in the Belarusian 2020 presidential race has been sentenced to 14 years in prison on corruption charges in a case that was widely seen as politically motivated. Viktor Babariko, the former chief executive of a Russia-owned bank, aspired to challenge Belarus’ authoritarian president, Alexander Lukashenko, in last year’s disputed election. But Babariko was arrested two months before the August 2020 vote.