Stepan Latypov was facing trial for organising opposition to Alexander Lukashenko. A court was readying itself for another display of dubious justice, Belarusian style, when defendant and opposition activist Stepan Latypov rose from the dock, took off his mask, drew a sharp object – apparently a pen – and buried it deep into his throat. In the moments beforehand, Mr Latypov had shouted to his father he had been warned that family and neighbours would be persecuted if he did not stand up in court and oblige with the customary guilty confession. He also claimed authorities had placed him in a punishment cell for the past seven weeks. The judge quickly ordered the court in Minsk to be emptied but the effort to save Mr Latypov was chaotic – hampered by the fact he was locked in the caged dock typical of courts across the former Soviet Union. Prison officers were initially unable to get access. While they went off looking for keys, Mr Latypov continued to hurt himself and lost consciousness in the process. The activist is believed to have been put in an induced coma at the Semashko hospital in Minsk as doctors work to save his life.
via independent: Belarusian opposition activist slits throat in court, citing threats to family
siehe auch: Belarus Activist Cuts Throat During Court Trial – Reports. Stepan Latypov was arrested last September. Belarusian activist Stepan Latypov stabbed himself in the throat in a Minsk courtroom Thursday after testifying that police had tortured him in custody, the Current Time news site has reported, citing the Viasna Human Rights Center. Graphic videos posted on Twitter showed the aftermath of the incident, with the 41-year-old Latypov being carried away from the courtroom on a stretcher, his throat still bleeding. In court, Latypov testified that he had suffered several weeks of torture during police custody and that his family and friends were threatened with the same treatment. He then climbed onto a bench and cut his throat with a pen, according to reports. Prison authorities “swore to me that if I didn’t admit my guilt, criminal cases would be opened against my relatives and neighbors,” Latypov said according to a court recording published by TUT.BY.