Yury Rubtsou appeals his arrest and demands to be returned his T-shirt

Homel resident Yury Rubtsou filed an appeal to the Minsk City Court against the illegal administrative detention. The activist also requires the head of the Maskouski District Police Department to conduct an official investigation into the arbitrary seizure of the “garment with an inscription of a political nature".

Bear in mind that on 3 November, during the procession on “Dziady” ("Forefathers Eve") in Minsk, riot policemen demanded from Yury Rubtsou to take off his T-shirt with the words "Lukashenka, resign!" and "Four times the president is not a president but an impostor king". Policeman Vital Pilipeika stated at court that "these inscriptions were on display and could have negative consequences".

As a result, the negative effects were experienced only by ensign Pilipeika and his partner Siarhei Herman who "offered Yu. Rubtsou to drive to the police department for discriminating whether the expressions on the T-shirts were insults against the incumbent president". According to the testimonies at the trial of three witnesses for Rubtsou, he was brutally shoved into a van by unknown persons in civilian clothes with no identification badges.

"In court, the police lied saying that I "refused to come to their car, pulled out and grabbed them by the clothes", says Mr. Rubtsou. “Judge Dzmitry Pauliuchenka believed the two policemen, calling me and three civilian witnesses liars. “The testimonies of the witnesses are unreliable, being contrary to the testimonies of the police officers, the truthfulness and accuracy of which the court does not put into question," this is the words with which the judge sentenced me to three days of arrest,” said Yu. Rubtsou.

In his appeal the activist said that his rights guaranteed by Articles 25, 33 and 35 of the Constitution and Articles 9, 14, 19 and 21 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights were violated. In addition, Yury Rubtsou demands to return him the T-shirt, which was forcibly taken away by the police officers at the Maskouski DPD.

It should be noted that ensign of the Minsk riot police Vital Pilipeika seems to be a professional witness. In particular, during the trials over the ex- presidential candidates Mikalai Statkevich and Dzmitry Us he stated that he was injured – the protesters interfered with the police, he fell and got several blows.

"Homel Spring"