Police deny activist's hunger-strike and refuse to return him T-shirt

Head of Minsk centrel for Minsk detention center, Lieutenant Colonel I. Sakalouski refused to recognize the 25-day hunger strike of an activist from Homel Yury Rubtsou, charging him 1,650,000 rubles for the prison food. The man who didn't eat anything during his stay in the detention center applied to the Maskouski District Court of Minsk.

"I declare that the day I got to the detention center, I applied to its head to declare a hunger-strike. I did not take food until the end of the arrest term. That's why I regard the financial claim of the police as mockery," wrote the activict in his application to the court.

In addition, the man demands to be returned his T-shirt with the words "Lukashenka, retire!" and "Arrest me. I am against Lukashenka!"

"26 April, I was detained in the Savetski district of Minsk by police officers who forcefully undressed me and took awy the T-shirt with a political inscription, which was confiscated without drawing any procedural documents."

Abiding by the pre-trial order of resolving the situation, Mr. Rubtsou filed a complaint to the head of the Minsk police. However, the application was forwarded to the detention center. The answer from there tells nothing about the fate of the seized T-shirt, just saying that “"You have been provided with food in the sufficient amount to maintain health and strength according to the norms established by the Government of Belarus".

Bear in mind that Yury Rubtsou was detained April 26, during the “Chernobyl Way” rally. April 28, he was taken to court without T-shirt, stripped to the waist, and was sentenced to 25 days of administrative arrest.

According to RFE/RL, a duty policeman from the detention center confirmed Rubtsou's hunger-strike during the administrative arrest.

homel Spring