The year 2022 began for Belarus with the news of yet another victim of the regime.

Dzmítry Uskhopau, 27 y.o., from the city of Rechytsa, was going to his mother’s house, on New Year’s Eve, to celebrate New Year’s Eve with her. He was detained by police at the bus stop and later taken to hospital, already in a coma, where he died the same night.

Police officers say that he felt sick at the police station, claiming his death was not related to trauma. However, the relatives released photos of the deceased’s body, which show signs of torture and beatings, on the face, head, hands, feet and back. Also, according to relatives, his clothes were soaked. They assume that Dzmitry was tortured with a jet of water and beaten at the police station.

According to family members, the deceased’s mother is currently under pressure from the police. Dzmitry’s father, Aliaksandr Uskhopau, commented to the portal Nasha Niva: “In the police we were told he ‘died’, but when we got to the morgue, we heard, ‘Oh, is it the one that was killed?'”.

“This was yet another case of unjustified violence, and the security forces are already trying to hide the facts. And, until the information appeared in the independent media, the regime was lying that, according to the police report, the turn of the year went without incident. Impunity breeds violence. So far, no security officers have been held accountable for their crimes. Security forces have been authorized to do anything to political prisoners (and even encouraged to do so). they consider this behavior a norm with Belarusians, not just protesters, but everyone in general.

‘Sometimes laws don’t matter’ became ‘Laws never matter'”, commented on the case Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, leader of democratic Belarus.