Doctors demand Maxim Vinyarski’s hospitalization

“European Belarus” coordinator continues his waterless hunger strike for the 6th day.

The lawyer of Maxim Vinyarski, Volha Bezbarodkina, confirmed that the state of health of her client, who started his waterless hunger strike in the detention centre in Akrestsin Street on April 23, is extremely poor.

Earlier a human rights activist and “European Belarus” activist Yuliya Stsyapanava, informed about deterioration of Vinyarski’s state of health as she received a letter from him.

Volha Bezbarodkina, the lawyer, told BelaPAN that an ambulance was called in the prison to Vinyarski on April 27. Doctors established he had heightened blood pressure, and prescribed him several drugs including validol. “A doctor visits him every day, and his pressure is measured. His temperature is low, 36.2 C. today he could hardly speak. There is a chance he would be admitted to hospital. In principle, he should have been hospitalized already as he is feeling very bad,” the lawyer said.

On April 28 Bezbarodkina met with the administration of the detention centre and applied for hospitalization of her client. “Today I talked to the deputy chief of the detention facility. If Maxim’s health deterioration becomes considerable, in an emergency state he is to be taken to hospital, they answered to me. I asked to call in an ambulance in my presence, but they refused. Everything is controlled by the physician who conducts observation, and he bears responsibility for him,” the lawyer added.

We remind that Maxim Vinyarski was detained by policemen on April 22 in Minsk when he left the shopping mall “Karona”. The activist was told that he allegedly looked like a person who is on the wanted list. And in the police department he was accused for “insubordination to legal demands of policemen,” and a report was drawn up on administrative charges. On the same day the judge of Frunzenski district court of Minsk Liudmila Lappo found Vinyarski guilty and sentenced him to 12 days in custody.

During the trial Vinyarski was taken bad. He was suffering from tonsillitis at that moment. An ambulance was called in, and doctors stated he needed hospitalization, however, policemen said he was to be taken to prison. In response Vinyarski went on a waterless hunger strike.

The activist said his detention was related to the authorities’ desire to prevent his participation in the Chernobyl Way (Charnobylski Shliakh) march, a traditional rally of the opposition. There is a real threat that the authorities would not be satisfied by this punishment, and as it happened before, would find a way to prolong his stay in prison to prevent his presence in Minsk during the Ice Hockey World Championship. That is why his waterless hunger strike was announced.

Recently Maxim Vinyarski has spent 300 days in custody, which considerably undermined his state of health. During the latest detention policemen demanded him to leave Minsk for the duration of the Ice Hockey World Championship.