Belarusian opposition leader Stepan Latypov, who tried to commit suicide in court due to threats from investigators, was sentenced to 8.5 years in prison

A court in Minsk sentenced Belarusian opposition leader Stepan Latypov. He was sentenced to 8 and a half years in a maximum security colony, informs human rights center “Vesna”. The political prisoner was also fined 300 basic units of income (8,700 Belarusian rubles, or almost 256 thousand Russian rubles).

He was found guilty of organizing and participating in group actions that grossly violate public order (parts 1 and 2 of Article 342 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Belarus), resistance to employees of the internal affairs bodies (part 2 of Article 363) and fraud on an especially large scale (part 4 of Article 209 ).

Latypov pleaded not guilty in court. The prosecutor asked for the same punishment as the court ordered.

The indictment of the investigation said that Latypov created a Telegram channel in which he called on people to create “a courtyard community with the aim of publicly expressing their socio-political views and protest, conducting destructive activities.”

In addition, according to the UK, the activist held meetings of the group members, applied drawings and protest inscriptions on the facades of buildings, and also created workshops for the production of protest symbols. He was also accused of stealing 123 thousand Belarusian rubles from 16 companies under the guise of fighting a cow parsnip.

In June, Stepan Latypov cut his own throat during a court hearing due to threats from investigators.

Latypov climbed onto the bench in the cage so that the guards could not reach him, and stuck a pen into his throat. Before that, he said: “The GUBOP promised that if I do not admit my guilt, there will be criminal cases against my relatives and neighbors.”