Yury Rubtsou was taken to Babruysk penal colony last weekend, HRC Viasna reports. Earlier, he had been kept in a remand prison in Baranavichy.
“The policy of the colony is that different measures, both formal and informal, will be taken against Yury. For example, he might be provoked by ‘snitches’ – they may create conflict situations on orders from above,” human rights defender Ales Byalyatski, a former political prisoner, tells about practices in Babruysk penal colony.
Read also: Delusive Belarus: Political Prisoners in Land of Stability (Belsat TV video)
In October 2014, Yury Rubtsou was sentenced to 2.5 years of personal restraint for allegedly insulting a judge. However, the sentence was reduced to 1.5 years due to the amnesty. While serving his sentence in the village of Kuplin (Pruzhany district), the activist refused to work due to low wages. Rubtsou asked to be provided with a job with an average pay in the country ($ 500), which gave ground for another criminal case.
The regime started to persecute the activist in 2013 when Rubtsou was protesting against introducing the contract system in Homiel. But the issue assumed serious dimensions after the Charnobyl Path rally. Yury Rubtsou is famous for his wearing T-shirts ‘Lukashenka Go Away’ and making a tattoo with the same slogan.
Read more: What is Rubtsou’s ‘fault’
You can support the political prisoner by writing a letter o sending a telegram:
Yury Rubtsou / Юрый Рубцоў
213807 Беларусь, Магілёўская вобласць, Бабруйск, вул. Сікорскага, 1. Папраўчая калонія № 2
Sikorskogo Street , 1, Penal Colony No 2, Babruysk, 213807, Mahiliou region, Belarus
