12th day of Young Front hunger strike

09.06.2006.

According to Young Front press-service, on June 9 three of the hunger-strikers state of health considerably deteriorated. One of them received medical help, two youngsters had to stop the strike.
However, 20 activists are still on hunger-strike and are not going to stop it. Zmitser Dashkevich, leader of Young Front said: We did not prepare the action, neither had we any illusions concerning the authorities reaction. So the criminal case is not likely to be stopped. Still, the hunger-strike is our protest and manifestation of our beliefs, as well as a means of attracting peoples attention. Now we are thinking of gathering all the participants of the strike in one place, so that it could be easier to make it together.

Valiantsin Stefanovich, a famous lawyer and human rights expert, says: First of all, the goal is important. When in 1996 Iury Khadyka and Viachaslau Siuchyk were on hunger-strike after Chernobyl Way, it resulted in closing of their criminal case. But latest hunger-strikes have not been taken into account by the authorities. The current case with Young Front is not an exception criminal persecution is under way. Young Fronts aim was to attract attention, since hunger-strike is a very difficult way of protest. But is also very important that among its participants we can see young people or even teenagers this says much about the situation with human rights in Belarus. Young Fronts case, unlike that of Partnerstva, has not attracted so much attention, while this is a purely political thing. So I think that this hunger-strike is absolutely justifiable. 6 people are already involved in the case; dozens have been interrogated and pressurized. It resulted in certain public reactions, which can eventually lead to some results.