Yadviha Rubtsova: Boycott of elections could be the way out

The wife of the political prisoner Yury Rubtsou is resented by Uladzimir Makei's statement at the summit of "Eastern Partnership in Riga.

She told charter97.org in her interview.

- Yury Rubtsou is waiting for the trial and he has been going on a hunger strike for two months already. How is he doing now?

- He does not provide me with any details. He cannot even inform me about his state of health. I learned about the hearing from the Internet.

- What can you say about Foreign Minister Uladzimir Makei's statement that there is "no problem of political prisoners in Belarus"?

- tI is impossible to imagine a reaction to such a statement... How dare he say about absence of political prisoner? They do exist. And they are imprisoned.

–Could consolidated actions of the opposition facilitate fate of political prisoners in Belarus?

- I guess it would be possible.

It should be reminded that the political prisoner was initiated a new case against under Article 415, Criminal Code of Belarus for the avoidance of punishment. Yury Rubtsou refused to work because of low wages and required to provide him with a medium salary in the country- $600. Political prisoner believes that a new criminal case against him is illegal, as well as criminal case for insulting a judge, for which he has already been convicted.

On October 6, 2014 Tsentralny District court sentenced Yury Rubtsou to a year and a half in an open type institution No. 7 under Art. 391 (insulting a judge or people's assessor). December 22, 2014 he was transferred to Kuplin village, Pruzhany district.

On May 27 the hearing begins at 10 am in the Pruzhany Regional Court.

Judge Mikalai Rapikha will try the political prisoner accused of avoidance of serving punishment. The political prisoner may face up to three years.