Political prisoner Yury Rubtsou receives tablet and TV set from activists

Activists raiased money and bought food and devices for the political prisoner.

Film director Volha Mikalaichyk and four activists of the movements For Freedom and Solidarity visited Yury Kuplin in the village of Kuplin (the Pruzhany district) on January 19, Radio Svaboda reports.

Activists launched a fundraising campaign to help Yury Rubtsou, who was sentenced to 18 months in an open-type prison facility allegedly for insulting a judge. Yury Rubtosu was recognised a political prisoner. According to Belarusian human rights defenders, he is prosecuted for wearing a T-shirt reading “Lukashenka, go away!” at rallies.

People answered the call to help Yury Rubtsou with food and money. 515,000 rubles was transferred to a webmoney account. Activists added own funds and bought a tablet, a TV set and a DVD player as well as food (grains, oil, preserves, cheese, sausages). One woman bought a sack of potatoes and pork fat. The activist brought everything to Rubtsou on Monday.

Yury Rubtsou received an extract from the Criminal Procedure Code prepared by human rights defenders for the jail authorities. According to the Code, inmates of an open-type prison facility have the right to use computers, tablets, laptops and the Internet.

Yury Rubtsou has been in Kuplin since December 22. He remains unemployed. Yury Rubtsou demands a job with the country's average salary equivalent to 600 dollars. There are no such jobs in the Pruzhany district, so Rubtsou doesn't work now.

On October 6, 2014, judge of the Tsentralny district court of Minsk Natallia Vaitsekhovich sentenced Rubtsou to 2.5 years in an open-type prison facility, but the term was reduced by one year due to the amnesty. Human rights activists note that the trial contained numerous violations and that the real reason for the prosecution of Rubtsou was his political activity. Viasna human rights centre recognised Yury Rubtsou a political prisoner after the sentence was delivered.