Belarusian activist stabs himself in the throat during court hearing

Anti-Lukashenko protesters.
(Image credit: Sergei Supinsky/AFP via Getty Images)

On Tuesday, a Belarusian activist accused of organizing protests and resisting arrest stabbed himself in the throat during a court hearing in Minsk, the human rights watchdog Viasna 96 said.

Before the stabbing, the activist, Steffan Latypov, said government authorities "came to me and warned that if I can't admit my guilt, then I would be thrown in a cell with hardened criminals and criminal cases would be launched against my relatives and neighbors." Viasna 96 said Latypov underwent surgery, and none of his vital organs were damaged.

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.