Another report from a prisoner in Belarus is shocking. After the forced stopover of an airplane led to the arrest of government critic Roman Protasewitsch (26) last week and triggered international horror, tragic scenes with an opponent of the regime in the dictatorship have now occurred again.
The 41-year-old activist Stepan Latypov has been in jail since last September after being arrested during demonstrations against the regime. On Tuesday he finally had to appear in court in the Belarusian capital Minsk. But there the opponent of Belarus dictator Alexander Lukashenko (66) apparently does not expect a fair trial. Instead, the inmate uses the process for an act of desperation.
Latypov doesn’t even try to defend himself
Latypov takes a seat on a wooden bench behind thick bars in the courtroom. When he was given the floor, he didn’t even try to defend himself. He took the opportunity and said what Lukashenko and the entire Belarusian power apparatus wanted to keep secret: he was tortured and tortured for a total of 51 days. Then Latypov addressed his father directly and said: “Papa, you have sworn to me that you will attack my family and relatives if I do not plead guilty in court!”
Then Latypov climbs on the wooden bench in his cell, pulls out a pen and stabs his neck with it. The guards present cannot prevent the suicide attempt. Loud shouts break out in the hall. It takes a long time for the officers to take out the keys to the cell door and unlock them. When they finally get to the defendant, he has already lost consciousness.
How Stepan Latypov is doing is unclear. Local media reports that the prisoner is alive, but his condition is critical. Video footage showed the 41-year-old being carried out of the courthouse, covered in blood. (cat)
These offices are there around the clock for people in suicidal crises and for those around them:
Addresses for people who have lost someone to suicide
Published: 06/01/2021, 23 minutes ago
Last updated: June 1, 2021, 22 minutes ago