Autukhovich Receives Official Charges

On 6 December, in presence of defense lawyers, Mikalai Autukhovich was read the official charges concerning non-payment of an exceptionally large sum of taxes, Article 243 of the Criminal Code, providing as punishment 3-7 years of jail with or without property confiscation. According to the defense lawyer Halina Ivanona on 14 October he declared a hunger-strike and has hungered for 54 days already to protest against being kept in jail. The prison administration considers Autukhovich’s action as incomplete hunger-strike. The prison director Aliaksandr Alieu stated the prisoner drank tea, ate honey and vitamins. Autukhovich’s father confirmed he has passed honey to the prison.

Before that, when he wasn’t kept in jail, Mikalai Autukhovich held three hunger-strike. The last of them was 31 day long.

Siarhiei Malchyk, former teacher of Hrodna Medical University, also went on hunger-strikes in jail, where he was kept for participation in unauthorized actions. He says that in favorable conditions people can even hunger for 80-90 days, but later lethal outcome is possible. What concerns vitamins, they can’t be considered as food. That’s why Autukhovich’s hunger-strike can be considered incomplete, but it is hunger-strike in any case. However, -- pointed Mr. Malchyk, it is impossible to make exact conclusions without seeing the hunger-striker, who can be visited only by the investigator and the defense lawyers.