Siarhei Kavalenka stops hunger-strike
RFE/RL learned it from the
father of the political prisoner, Aliaksandr
Kavalenka, who visited his son in the psychiatric hospital in Minsk.
“He said he began to drink juices and eat. He is not fed through a tube and
does not receive IV therapy. He is in a good mood. He asked me to tell about
his family. According to him, attitude here is much better than in Vitba-3
penal colony,” Aliaksandr Kavalenka said.
Bear in mind that the court of the Pershamaiski district of Vitebsk sentenced Siarhei
Kavalenka to two years and a month in prison on February 24. The opposition
activist was accused of a probation violation (article 415 of the Criminal
Court).
In May 2010, Kavalenka was given a suspended sentence by the Kastrychnitski
district court for hanging out a national white-red-white flag on a Christmas
Tree in Vitebsk.
Kavalenka has been in custody since 19 December 2011. He went on hunger
strike in protest and lost half his body weight. According to his wife, he
weights 45 kg
against his normal 83 kg.
Doctors began to force-feed him on 1 April. Kavalenka said he was ready to stop
hunger strike only in a hospitals for civilians. The Belarusian democratic
community and international organizations demand to release the opposition
activist.