Homel oppositionist goes on hunger strike in temporary detention facility

A public activist Kanstantsin Zhukouski from Homel has announced a hunger strike in the temporary detention facility of the Interior Affairs department of Homel regional executive committee.

The information about that was disseminated by Viasna human rights centre.

The wife of the activist Alena Zhukouskaya tried to bring warm clothes, a bottle of water and vitamins to her husband, however these things were not accepted at the remand prison, and the explanation was: “Zhukouski had committed a minor offend.”

We remind that the activist was detained on August 25 by riot policemen in the yard of his own house. Notably, Zhukouski had called up traffic policemen himself. Trucks from a neighbouring construction site blocked his entry road to the yard, and drivers ignored his requests to clear the way.

Riot policemen arrived with traffic policemen. Later they detained the activist, charging him with “failure to obey legal requirements of policemen (Article 23.4 of the Administrative Code).

Before the court Zhukouski argued that he had not committed that offence. A traffic policeman immediately asked the activist to mount his service car, without explaining the reasons for that. When Zhukouski refused, riot policemen “accompanied” him to the service car, took to the police department of the Central district, and later to the temporary detention facility.

The trial took place on August 28. The judge of Central district of Homel, Volha Kazlova, sentenced Zhukouski to 5 days of administrative arrest in the temporary detention facility.