Former Political Prisoner: Whole Stsiapan Latypau's Body In Cuts

• 7.10.2024, 15:10

The prisoner of conscience is under pressure.

Political prisoner Stsiapan Latypau in Ivatsevichy prison #22 was subjected to strong pressure from the administration and, as a sign of protest and struggle against repression, cut his body. Former political prisoner Artsiom Miadzvedski told Zerkalo about it. He served part of his sentence in the same prison and crossed paths with him some time ago.

Artsiom Miadzvedski was in the Wolf's Holes [prison - Ed.] from June 2022 to March 2023. During this period, the young man met Stsiapan Latypau. Political prisoners discussed, among other things, pressure from the prison administration.

"He has, roughly speaking, the whole body in cuts. He told me why he was imprisoned, and said that he was threatened with imprisonment of neighbours and relatives if he did not sign a confession of guilt," the Artsiom says. "Therefore, he did so — that is, beneficial for nobody [we are talking about Latypau's act, when he stuck a pen in his throat at the meeting, according to Miadzvedski, it was a 'sink' — this was the name of the razor blade - Ed.]. And he continued to do so there, because they began to strangle him, put him in a punishment cell and solitary confinement."

Miadzvedskiy says that Latypov was in solitary confinement for a long time, he did not receive letters and parcels from loved ones. Therefore, "he had to constantly provoke the administration to negotiate anyhow," says the former political prisoner.

"He said then that he would continue to cut veins, for example, so that they would pay attention to him. Because if someone cuts themselves, in any case, a check should come, find out why, how the person did it. The keeper will got a minus. And the keeper wants to retire early and with a good pension payments. The keeper doesn't need that," explains the former political prisoner. "Therefore, they will have to negotiate, let some letters, allow meetings. A lawyer can do nothing, and if the relatives write a claim, he will get a backlash. Well, they will come to you, talk to you and leave. And you will stay there. You will get it back [complaint about the actions of the administration], that is, you will not go far with this. Therefore, it is very difficult there psychologically.