Two political prisoners in Akrestsin Street go on hunger strike

Yury Rubtsou and Dzmitry Palienka protest against illegal arrest.

At least 24 political activists are detained in the detention centre in Akrestsin Street. They were detained during the period between Chernobyl Way and the opening of the Ice Hockey Championship. Besides, two activists are serving preventive arrest terms in Hrodna, and one in Slonim and in Homel.

It has been reported by Anastasiya Lojka, a human rights activist from the human rights centre Viasna, Radio Svaboda informs.

“We receive information of all kinds from the prison in Akrestsin Street. We know they face problems with correspondence, letters are not received from them. We know that there are almost empty cells there, as the centre has been cleared from alcoholics and beggars completely. People expecting deportation are mostly serving the term there, and political prisoners are incarcerated with them. They informed us about such a problem that some are not allowed to leave cells and have a walk. There is no water in some cells, and some cells are cold,” she said.

As said by Anastasiya Lojka, Dzmitry Paliyenka, the activist detained on May 8, has also gone on hunger strike like Yury Rubtsou, who stays in the detention centre in Akrestsin Street sine Chernobyl Way rally for wearing a T-shirt with anti-Lukashenka slogans.

On Sunday, May 11 Mikalai Kolas from Dzyarzhynsk and a Muscovite Vladimir Novikov were released. Novikov faces an entry ban for 10 years, as said by Lojka. The next wave of releases is expected on May 16.