Alyaksandr Kazulin kept his bed for more than a month after hunger strike :: Charter'97 :: News

The Charter’97 press-center has been informed about that by the wife of the former candidate for presidency, Iryna Kazulina, who had received a right for a long-term meeting with her husband. She spent three days in a hostel of the corrective labour colony Vitsba-3. As said by Iryna Kazulina, after the hunger strike which lasted 53 days, Alyaksandr Kazulin’s legs swelled. For more than a month the political prisoner stayed in bed, with rare walks outside. Only three days before the meeting with his family Kazulin left his bed. However, because of poor blood analysis the regime of recovering from the hunger strike has been prolonged for the former candidate for presidency.

As said by Iryna Kazulina, it is difficult to name the diagnosis of Kazulin’s illness, as even doctors cannot say why his legs are swollen.

“Since the time when he stopped the hunger strike he was lying and not leaving his bed. Alyaksandr told that it was extremely difficult for him. He had 5 attacks when his body was twisted in strong cramps, and his state was awful. He had to recover from one crisi for 16 hours. To improve his state he had to drink 15 litres of water… Now he feels much better. We saw him in good condition. He was very energetic,” Iryna Kazulina said.

Alyaksandr Kazulin denied a proposal to be admitted to a medical unit of the colony or to a republican prison hospital in Minsk. He is trying to improve his state after the hunger strike himself.

“He has spent all the time in the colony. Alyaksandr told that the conditions in prison medical unit are difficult, there are lots of sick people there, and a risk of getting an illness. Husband believes that as he was able to be carry out the hunger strike independently, he would be able to recover after the hunger strike without any help,” the wife of the political prisoner told.

As said by Iryna Kazulina, the director of the colony had promised her, that Alyaksandr Kazulin would be allowed to prolong the period of transition from the hunger strike, as his blood tests are rather bad. The weight of the politician is becoming stable. Today Kazulin’s weight is 86 kilograms (after the hunger strike his weight was 64 kilograms, while before the arrest his weight was 105 kgs).

The wife of the political prisoner also tells that moral coercion is being applied on him, but gave no further details. On February 1 she plans to hold a press conference and tell about her meeting with her husband in detail.

However, Iryna Kazulina was happy to meet with her husband.

“We are talking for 3 days, we have discussed everything! We are full of joy and happiness, as we have seen the same Alyaksandr…”

As we have informed, the former candidate for presidency Alyaksandr Kazulin was on a political hunger strike for 53 days. The political prisoner demanded to consider the Belarusian issue in the UN Security Council, and achieved his end. A representative of the US raised a question of human rights violations in Belarus at the session of the UN Security Council.