According to Viasna, Eduard Babaryka has been transferred to prison regime

Political prisoner Eduard Babaryka has probably been transferred to prison regime. This is reported by Viasna, which Belarus has designated an extremist organisation. According to its sources, in May 2026 his punishment was made harsher and he was transferred to prison regime in SIZO-1 in Hrodna.

The information is contradictory. At first it was reported that in May Babaryka's punishment was made harsher and he was moved to pre-trial detention centre No. 1 in Hrodna, but soon another source said he was still in penal colony No. 8 in Orsha. Which institution he was actually transferred to has not been confirmed.

Eduard Babaryka has been in custody for almost six and a half years. During that time he has been tried twice under part 2 of Article 411 of the Criminal Code, for malicious disobedience to the demands of the penal institution's administration. In the first case he was given two more years of imprisonment; the sentence in the second case is unknown.

He is the son of Viktar Babaryka, who sought the presidency in 2020. Before his detention in June 2020, Eduard headed the initiative group collecting signatures to nominate his father as a candidate, and earlier he led the crowdfunding platforms Ulej and MolaMola. Of his son in prison, Viktar Babaryka said: "Yes, he is a hostage" (translation).

In July 2023, Eduard Babaryka was sentenced to 8 years in a penal colony for incitement to hatred and other offences. In July 2024 he was given an additional year and a half of imprisonment under Article 411.