Yury Rubtsou may be given official charges today

April 6, political prisoner Yury Rubtsou was taken to the Pruzhany district department of the Investigative Committee due to instigation of criminal proceedings under Article 415 of the Criminal Code, evasion from serving penalty in the form of deprivation of liberty). The article envisages up to three years in prison. Today in the evening he may be presented official charges.

The Investigative Committee chose detention as the preventive measure for him. Therefore, Mr. Rubtsou has been placed in the local temporary detention centre on April 6. According to information of human rights defenders, he refused from the state defence lawyer and declared a hunger-strike. He also refused to give any testimonies to investigator Baradouskaya who investigates the criminal case.

As he managed to tell Radio “Liberty” over the phone, a part of the policemen working at the open correctional facility in the village of Kuplin, where he was serving his term, were deprived of wage bonuses after he had someone tattoo “Lukashenka, go away!” on his chest.

According to the prisoner, in response the police initiated the criminal proceedings against him. “They want to imprison me for understanding the difference between the right and the obligation. The Constitution states the right to work, whereas the Executive Code considers it as an obligation. However, if it is an obligation, why the police don't conclude the labour agreement, but make me guilty? They say that I have four times refused from work. This is cynicism, as in this case it comes out that I am obliged to work, but must sign the agreement that I allegedly go to work on my own will,” commented Mr. Rubtsou.

To protest against the criminal prosecution, Mr. Rubtsou declared a hunger-strike and boycott to all police officers, investigators and prosecutors. He also made a public statement that he would refuse to answer their questions.

After receiving official chargees Mr. Rubtsou will be transferred to a remand prison, probably in Baranavichy.

Let us remind, on October 6, 2014 Tsentralny District Court of Minsk sentenced Yury Rubtsou to 1.5 years of personal restraint with serving the term in an open correctional facility under Article 391 of the Criminal Code, "Insulting a judge or lay judge". December 22, 2014 Mr. Rubtsou was sent to the open correction facility in the village of Kuplin (Pruzhany district).