Siarhei Kavalenka holds two protest hunger-strikes in a row

Siarhei Kavalenka, an activist of the Conservative-Christian Party Belarusian Popular Front, was detained for coming to the center of Vitsebsk with three white-red-white flags and chanting slogans on 25 March. He was charged with “disorderly conduct” and sentenced to 7 days of arrest.

On 1 April he was released, just to be detained again in 5 minutes, for “violation of the regime of the personal restraint” to three years of which he had been sentenced for hanging out a white-red-white flag on the main New Year tree of Vitsebsk on 7 January 2010. As a result, he was sentenced to another 15-day arrest term.

Mr. Kavalenka declared a hunger-strike of protest against the unlawful detention back on 25 March. He also decided to continue hungering after the detention of 1 April. According to his wife, Alena Kavalenka, he has previous experience of hunger-strikes, but this one will be the longest one.

Human Rights Chronicle