an opposition activist tried to kill himself in court to denounce the atrocities of the Lukashenko regime

Belarusian activist Stepan Latypov, arrested last year in connection with massive protests against President Alexander Lukashenko, has ruled commit suicide in the courtroom where a lawsuit was being held against him.

According to the local press, when he was admitted to a cell in the middle of the court, Latypov took out an object, presumably a pen, from a file containing certain documents, the He slipped down her throat, then she cut off his hands.

The image of the bloody activist was uploaded to networks by witnesses to the trial and immediately toured the world. The video shows how the guards could not quickly open the cell he was in because they did not have the keys.

According to the Vesna Center for Human Rights, Latypov reported that investigators promised that “if he does not plead guilty”, criminal proceedings will be opened against “relatives and neighbors”.

Latypov was arrested in September 2020 when he wanted, along with his neighbors, to prevent the removal of the mural depicting DJs who had performed the protest song “Peremen” at an opposition rally shortly before the presidential elections.

Human rights activists regard Latypov as a political prisoner of the Alexander Lukashenko regime.

Belarus, in tension

The suicide attempt comes after a turbulent political week after international condemnation of the hijacking of a RyanAir plane that was forced to land at Minsk airport to arrest Belarusian power-critic Roman Protasevich and his little one Russian friend Sofia Sapega, who were on board. he.

“There has not been a day that the regime has not broken the plight of an innocent person all year long. The world was shocked by the news of Roman Protasevich last week, but at the same time, hundreds, thousands of people are tortured in prisons in Belarus, ”denounced Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, an opposition leader living in exile.

The chief said Latypov had been removed from the court’s subconscious. “We don’t know if he will survive,” he said. “We also don’t know if the rest of the prisons and hostages will survive,” he added.

“But we know it must stop immediately. Stop killing our boys. Stop killing our families. Stop killing your own people. Stop doing what takes away your right to be qualified as human beings ”, demanded the opposition of Vinla, the capital of Lithuania, accompanied by American senators who accused Lukashenko of being a threat to international peace. .

Stepan Latypov was detained in a square in Minsk which has become known to some local residents and the media as “Change Square”.

His crime? Standing in front of a mural to prevent pro-government activists, guarded by politicians, from painting over opposition graffiti.

The police accused him of organizing riots, of resisting the police authorities. Then, on state television responding to Lukashenko, he was accused of attempting to poison an officer. The activist has always denied all the accusations.

Today he has gone further and attempted suicide to expose the torture and pressure of the Belarusian regime in the eyes of the world.

The media criticizing the Belarusian president, who has led for 27 years with the support of Russian Vladimir Putin, denounce that the country has 436 political prisoners, including 35 journalists.

The latest was Protasevich, whose imprisonment drew criticism around the world and even from US President Joe Biden, who imposed sanctions on Belarus by re-establishing a “total blockade” on nine Belarusian state-owned companies.

Source: Agencies