Likhavid, Budzimir, Malaletkin: circumstances of hunger-strikes connected to “mass riot case”
On 29 March Natallia
Pykina, Judge of the Partyzanski district court of Minsk, found 20-year-old
activist of the For Freedom movement
Mikita Likhavid guilty of taking part in the “mass riot” that had allegedly
taken place on 19 December 2010
in central Minsk, and sentenced him to 3.5 years in a
medium security penal colony. After the trial, Mikita appealed against the
judgement. On 31 March he also stated that on 4 April he would go on
hunger-strike of protest against the unfair verdict. The action was supported
by two more participants of the 19 December protest action, a well-known
blogger Budzimir, and
49-year-old democratic activist from Orsha, Siarhei Malaletkin (by the way, the
police had knocked out several teeth to him during the action).
However, on 4 April, Likhavid's mother Alena informed about his decision to
postpone hunger-strike till the moment when his appeal will be considered by
the Supreme Court.
"Therefore,
I call on Budzimir and Malaletkin, who decided to support Mikita, to take care
of themselves and to stop the hunger-strike of solidarity",
Alena Likhavid has told to "Radio Liberty".
According to Alena Likhavid, Mikita's lawyer Dar’ia Lipkina met with him in Valadarski Street
detention center and managed to convince him to postpone the hunger strike.
