According to pro-governmental telegram channels, political prisoner, philosopher, and Belsat journalist Uladzimir Matskevich had stopped his hunger strike. The lawyer confirmed it. Matskevich had been on hunger strike since February 4 and refused water since February 15.
The statement of Uladzimir Matskevich about him stopping his hunger strike is dated February 16. So far, the journalist’s relatives and lawyer have not confirmed that he has started eating again.
Svyatlana Matskevich, colleague and ex-wife of Uladzimir Matskevich, has confirmed to Belsat that he had written the letter.
She thinks the statement about ending the hunger strike was most likely made after the interrogation. But it’s only a guess since the investigation is closed. She hopes that the solidarity efforts were not in vain.
UPDATE: Matskevich’s relatives later received information from his lawyer. He relayed what Matskevich himself said:
“Yesterday I started passing out. A neighbor called the doctor, they made an IV. After the procedure, there was a meeting with the investigator, from which I concluded that the case had moved on. I stopped the hunger strike and wrote a statement in the evening around 7 pm. I hope that I will not have to repeat it”.
On February 16, the 65-year-old political prisoner, who had been on hunger strike since February 4, began feeling sick. A doctor was called to him. He was given an IV and injected with vitamins.
Relatives say that despite the positive progress, not all of Matskevich’s demands have been met: he is still in captivity, the investigation is not completed, and the case has not been sent to court.
Uladzimir Matskevich was detained on August 4, 2021. He was accused of organizing actions that grossly violated public order (Article 342 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Belarus). On February 4, 2022б, Matskevich went on hunger strike and stated that if his demands were not satisfied within ten days, he would go on a dry hunger strike. On February 15, he began a “dry” hunger strike. Uladzimir Matskevich is kept in pre-trial detention center #1 in Minsk.
belsat.eu
