Ihar Alinevich , an anarcho-partisan sentenced to 20 years for participating in the Belarusian uprising, went on hunger strike. Members of the Anarchist Black Cross collected the latest information about Igor from the Facebook of his mother Valentina Alinevich and from his close friends. Here’s what we were able to find out.
On October 5, Ihar’s lawyer tried to get to him, but did not. He will try to get to him next week. According to unconfirmed reports, Ihar is still in the penal cell, where he was visited by the prosecutor. It is very difficult to get any information about Ihar. Even his mother has not been able to see her son for years; there is no way to get in touch with him by phone; all letters are censored and often do not reach him at all. It may be difficult for foreigners to understand this, but if the country is “out of touch with the laws,” then information can be quite scarce.
Ihar’s hunger strike and demands
Ihar began his hunger strike on September 19. The exact demands are not known for certain, but apparently the last straw was a report on his placement in a punishment cell. Prior to that, he had sent complaints to higher authorities about the arbitrariness of the prison administration, but received no response. Therefore, Ihar suggests that these complaints did not leave the prison at all.
Transfer to prison regime
From the camp where Ihar was serving his sentence, he was transferred to a prison regime. Under what pretext is not known, but he had assumed it would happen. This is a mass phenomenon among Belarus political prisoners. If a person has dignity and will, this is a necessary consequence. Continue reading “Belarus: Hunger strike of Ihar Alinevich – what is known now”