Babruisk: Hunger-striker Alena Zakhozhaia Is Hospitalized

01.11.2006.

According to www.charter97.org and RFE/RL

The activist of the Belarusian Independent Trade Union Alena Zakhozhaia was taken to a hospital. The woman who is continuing the hunger strike for 29 days lost consciousness at her working place. She has a high blood pressure, tachycardia and cardiac muscle problems. After a medical check-up Alena Zakhozhaia was placed to a nephrology unit of a hospital.

The trade union activist is carrying out the huger strike since October 3. The woman demands local authorities to register a primary organization of the Belarusian Independent Trade Union. Belshyna should provide the primary organization with a legal address for that, but the employer refuses to do so. Besides, she demands to pay bonuses and allowances for health promotion received by other workers of the enterprise.

The activist of the primary organization of the BITU Mikhail Ustsinovich told to RFE/RL that Alena’s friends and relatives help her to recover after the hunger-strike. According to him in the morning there was a medical council after which A.Zakhozhaia was informed that in order to preserve her health the woman needed to stop the hunger-strike and follow the recovery scheme that would be proposed by the doctors. In her talk with a correspondent of Radio Liberty Alena Zakhozhaia said he could no more categorically refuse from the proposals of medics, her friends and relatives to suspend her action of protest. ‘However, I will take the final decision depending on the results of the today’s negotiations between the BITU and Belshyna administration’, she added.