Yury Rubtsou's appeal to be heard on November 21

The Minsk city court will hear an appeal filed by the activist from Homel, who was sentenced to 18 months in an open-type correctional facility.

The hearing will begin at 10 a.m. on November 21, Viasna human rights centre reports.

On October 6, the Tsentralny district court of Minsk found the activist guilty of violating article 391 of the Criminal Code (insulting a judge) and sentence him to 2.5 years in an open-type correctional facility. The term was reduced by one year due to the amnesty, but the activist still has to serve 18 months.

Viasna human rights centre that watched the process says sending Yury Rubtsou to the correctional facility means that a new political prisoner will appear in Belarus.

“Yury Rubtou was detained at the rally, which was permitted by the authorities, for wearing a T-shirt 'Lukashenka go away'. He was taken to a court naked to the waist. It denigrates human dignity, but the judge ignored it, though he is supposed to protect a person's rights and interests. The same people who said he was swearing say he insulted the judge. So, it is our statement that if the court decision is upheld and takes force after our appeal and Rubtou is sent to an open-type correctional facility, we will recognise him a political prisoner. The sentence of Rubtous is directly related to the exercising of his rights to freedom of peaceful assemblies and expression. Any citizen of Belarus has the right to say 'Lukashenka go away'. No one has the right to arrest people for it,” Viasna's deputy head Valiantsin Stefanovich says.

Rubtsou was charged on August 5 after a questioning in Minsk's Savetski district department of the Investigation Committee. Judge of the Savetski district court Kiryl Palulekh says Yury Rubtsou allegedly insulted him during the hearing of an administrative case on April 28.