NEW YORK (Dagbladet): The Belarusian activist stabbed himself in the neck during a court hearing in the capital Minsk on Tuesday. In the video pictures, it looks like he is using a pen.
Latypov was then transported to hospital and should be in stable condition after being operated on, reports BBC.
The mother despairs: – Ready to beg
Accused
Latypov is accused of building social media for the opposition in the dictatorship. Authorities also claim he opposed the arrest in September last year. Latypov himself denies the allegations.
The country’s president, Alexander Lukashenko, has cracked down on the opposition after declaring victory in August last year. He believes that the opposition did not win in a democratic way, and there were large demonstrations in the closed dictatorship.
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Latypov allegedly stabbed himself to death after his father testified in court, according to the Belarusian organization Viasna, writes BBC.
They state that Latypov was questioned while he told his father that the police had threatened to punish him physically if he did not plead guilty. He also said that they had promised to sue relatives and neighbors for crimes.
The Nexta Telegram channel, which is part of the opposition in Belarus, published a video of the incident that appears to show Latypov lying on a bench in the courtroom. He was later taken to hospital.
Shocked and powerless
Nexta states that Latypov had undergone surgery and that the condition was “satisfactory”.
The Belarusian Ministry of Health reports that the condition is stable for a 41-year-old man without naming Latypov, reports Reuters.
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– Torture
– Belarusian activist and political prisoner Stepan Latypov, cut his throat in court today. He was threatened with prosecution by the family if he did not admit guilt. This is a result of state terrorism, repression and torture in Belarus. We must stop immediately, writes opposition leader Svyatlana Tsikhanowskaya Twitter.
Fear of torture: – Personal enemy
Many dissidents have left Belarus since the controversial election last year. According to the BBC, the authorities in the country have now imposed a temporary ban on leaving the country for almost all residents.
Tsikhanowskaya, who believes she won the presidential election last year, has moved to neighboring Lithuania with her staff.
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