“Barbarico is alive!”

That’s what Viktor Babaryko’s team said after seeing the first photo of the jailed Belarusian opposition politician in more than 630 days.

In 2020, Babariko was arrested while trying to run for president against authoritarian leader Alexander Lukashenko, and was subsequently held in solitary confinement in prison as additional punishment.

His political team described the period of complete lack of contact or information about him as “painful”.

In a short video just released, Barbarico sends greetings to the family. There are also three photos, one of which shows him writing a letter, apparently also to a relative. It’s unclear exactly when the photos were taken.

Wearing black prison overalls, the former banker has lost significant weight since being detained.

Other high-profile political prisoners are also being held in solitary confinement in Belarus, including Maria Kolesnikova, who was a member of Barbariko’s 2020 presidential campaign before her arrest.

She subsequently became one of the leaders of the massive protests that erupted after the election, which the EU said was faked to keep Lukashenko in power.

Similar photos of Kolesnikova suddenly came to light last November, when her father was allowed to visit her for the first time in more than a year and a half and she was taken in prison. She has not been heard from since.

In both cases, the photos and videos were posted by Roman Protasevich, co-founder of the Telegram channel Nexta, which received widespread attention during mass protests in 2020.

In 2021, he was arrested after his Ryanair flight was diverted mid-air to Belarus and forced to land due to a false bomb threat.

The former activist was later released after a public apology and is now cooperating with authorities.

In a short video he posted alongside a photo of Victor Barbarico, he said the prisoner “looked fine”, claiming he was happy and the two chatted, joked and “even laughed” together. Barbarico himself was unavailable for comment.

Photos of the former presidential contender emerged shortly before Belarus’ next elections on January 26. This time, no real opposition candidates were allowed to participate at all.

There are reports that prominent political prisoners are under pressure to request formal pardons from Lukashenko ahead of the vote so that he can release them and appear merciful.

The photo of Viktor Barbariko in prison may also serve as a reminder to Belarusians of the huge risks of speaking out.

Dozens of lesser-known figures have been released in recent months, but others were quickly arrested to replace them.

Human rights group Viasna currently counts 1,258 political prisoners in the country.

Sergei Tikhanovsky, a political activist who was arrested in 2020, was replaced by his wife Svetlana in the elections.

Opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, who was forced into exile, told the BBC this week that the upcoming presidential election was a bid by Alexander Lukashenko to expand his grip on power. A “scam” and a “show”.