Hunger Striker In Brest Can Die :: Charter'97 :: News

Hunger strikers in Brest worry for life of one of the participants of the hunger strike, Lubou Razanovich, who refused to take water since August 1. The BelaPAN was informed about that by another participant of the hunger strike, an entrepreneur Lubou Laurukovich. “Every day Lubou Razanovich faints, she is extremely weak and dizzy. Besides, kidney problems started recently. A few years ago she underwent a serious operation, that is why a fast from food could cause irreversible abnormal changes in her body, and doctors had warned her about that. Doctors strongly recommend her to stop the hunger strike and go to a hospital, but she says that she would go all the way. The health condition of other protesters is rather bad as well, but we are afraid that for Razanovich the hunger strike could end in tragedy,” L. Lavrukovich said.

The protesters say that the rumours that Brest drivers are going to stop the protest are groundless.

L. Lavrukovich believes that the reason for the rumours is that the protesters asked L. Razanovich stop the protest for fear of her life. “We understand tat a person’s life is the most valuable thing. Moreover, she has two underage children. We hope that the problem of shuttle taxis would be solved justly and quickly. Every day representatives of local authorities contact us, and I think they are doing all they can. On Tuesday another meeting with the regional executive committee workers is to take place,” L. Laurukovich said.

The termless hunger strike started in Brest on July 5. Now 15 hunger strikers take part in it. They are owners of taxi cars, their relatives, drivers and two vendors from a Brest market, who joined the protest.
They demand to overturn the ruling of tax agencies. Hunger strikers refuse to pay the fee for using means of transportation in business activities paid by owners of cars imported to Belarus before 2004. The republican tax was imposed by a presidential decree in 2004, and the owners of taxi cars had imported cars in Belarus much earlier. On August 2 L. Razanovich sent an open letter to the president asking him “to prevent the human tragedy and to help”.