19 July 2018, 23:02
Emir-Usein Kuku stops his hunger strike in Rostov SIZO
Political prisoner Emir-Usein Kuku, who is kept at the Rostov-on-Don SIZO (pre-trial prison) on the charge of involvement in the terrorist organization "Hizb ut-Tahrir", banned in Russia, has stopped his hunger strike and began the process of restoration.
The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that Emir-Usein Kuku went on a hunger strike on June 26.
Emir-Usein Kuku, a member of the Crimean Human Rights Contact Group, was arrested in February 2016. He is involved as a defendant in the case on organization of a unit of the "Hizb ut-Tahrir"* in Crimea. On March 1, the Human Rights Centre (HRC) "Memorial" recognized him and other defendants in the case political prisoners.
"In response to a request of his wife Meriem, Emir-Usein stopped his hunger strike," Anton Naumlyuk, a Radio Liberty correspondent, has written today on his Facebook page.
On July 18, according to Leonid Petrashis, the chairman of the Public Observance Commission (POC) for the Rostov Region, Emir-Usein Kuku wrote a letter announcing that he would stop his hunger strike. The political prisoner has already begun the process of recovery: he takes nutrient mixtures and undergoes medical procedures, Anton Naumlyuk reports.
Earlier today, Anton Naumlyuk has published an Emir-Usein Kuku's letter with the description of the conditions in which he was on his hunger strike. "They provide no supportive therapy, no glucose, no vitamins, nothing. It is clear that they (top-ranking officials) do not need a second Sentsov, who would be able to continue the hunger strike for months with the support in the form of glucose and vitamins. The protestor is to be surrendered soon, they understood their mistake," the letter says.
* Terrorist organization, banned in Russia by the court decision
This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on July 19, 2018 at 06:06 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.
