Investigators informed Rubtsou that the criminal proceedings had been instituted against him under Article 391 “Insulting a judge or a people’s assessor.” The article provides for various types of punishment for insulting a judge in connection with his implementation of justice – fine, correctional labor for up to two years, the arrest for a term of three to six months, or restraint of liberty for a term up to three years.
Yuryi Rubtsou signed an undertaking on non-disclosure information of the investigation. However as a rule, in such cases, the linguistic expertise of text “insults” should be carried out primarily, which means the continuation of the investigation.
Next interrogation of the activist will be held a week later. As previously reported, Yuryi Rubtsou commented on the record of the hearing, which was conducted by a judge of the Soviet district of Minsk Kiryl Palulekh, but the court did not take them into account.
The administrative process, where Rubtsou’s words were regarded as an insult to the judge, was held after the rally “Chernobyl Way”, on 28 April this year, in the court of the Soviet district of Minsk. The activist was on hunger strike protesting his 25 days detention which he held the whole duration of his arrest. After this, he had to be treated at the hospital. Rubtsou was arrested, in fact, because he was wearing a T-shirt with the inscription “Lukashenka, go away!”
Earlier Rubtsou was arrested for T-shirt “Lukashenka, go away”, although the Belarusian constitution and laws provide for freedom of speech formally.
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