Viniarski and Rubcou keep on hunger strike at Akrescina

The activists are on hunger strike in the prison in Akrescina Street.

There are at least 12 prisoners in the jail in Akrescina Street, who were preventively arrested before the Chernobyl Shlakh manifestation and the Ice Hockey World Championship, according to human rights activists, Radio Svaboda reports.

It is known for sure that two of them – a coordinator of the European Belarus civic campaign Maksim Viniarski and an activist Jury Rubcou have gone on a hunger strike to protest.

On 30 April the on-duty officer at the jail said that the European Belarus civic campaign coordinator Maksim Viniarski, who had started a dry hunger strike on 22 April, changed it for a common hunger strike. At the same time there is no exact information about the activists Jury Rubcou from Homiel – whether he is on a dry hunger strike, or only refuses from food. They did not provide these data in the jail in Akrescina Street, but did confirm that Rubcou was still on a hunger strike.

“I have no information. He did not tell us anything, made no statements. He just refuses from food, that is all”, - they said in the jail in Akrescina Street.

Jury Rubcou, who at the Chernobyl Shlakh manifestation was wearing a T-shirt with writings ‘Lukashenka, go away’ and ‘Arrest me. I am against Lukashenka’, was sentenced to a 25-days administrative arrest on 28 April. On the same day 7 more manifestation participants were put on trial, as well as a former political prisoner Aliaksandr Frantskievich, who was detained on 25 April – he was sentenced to 25 days in jail, like Rubcou.

Maksim Viniarski was detained on 22 April. The activist links his detention to the authorities’ desire not to let him take part in the Chernobyl Shlakh manifestation, that took place on 26 April. There is a real threat that the authorities will not stay in the limits of this punishment, and like it already used to be the case in the past, will find a way to prolong his time in prison, in order to prevent him from being in Minsk during the Ice Hockey World Championship. This is why he has gone on hunger strike.

Recently Maksim Viniarski spent over 300 days in prison, which has seriously affected his health condition. At the time of the latest detention policemen demanded that he leave Minsk for the time of the Ice Hockey World Championship.