In Astrakhan, SR announces conditions for Oleg Shein to stop his hunger strike

The former candidate for the Mayor of Astrakhan Oleg Shein can start a gradual exit out of the hunger strike, if after watching the videos from the election of the Mayor of Astrakhan, Vladimir Churov, the head of the Russian Central Election Commission (CEC), makes a statement that the hunger-strikers' lawsuit has prospects, said Nikolai Levichev, Chairman of the "Spravedlivaya Rossiya" (SR) (Fair Russia) Party.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that now Astrakhan is visited by several dozens of Russian State Duma MPs. They came to support the hunger-striking leader of the regional SR Oleg Shein.

"When a lawsuit accompanied by the full set of videos has been filed, and Mr Churov states that the claim has its judicial perspective, then Oleg Shein will have to keep his promise," said Mr Levichev in answer to a reporter's question about the start of Oleg Shein's gradual quit out of his hunger strike.

A request to Oleg Shein to stop his hunger strike was pronounced by Sergey Mironov, the leader of the SR and the participants of the rally in Astrakhan.

Mr Mironov asked the protesters to urge Oleg Shein to slowly get out of the hunger strike. "Let us now ask Oleg to gradually suspend his hunger strike. Oleg Shein, we ask you, it's time to come back to life," said Mironov. The protesters repeated these words in chorus, and chanted: "We ask you; we ask you!"

In his turn, Mr Shein thanked them for their support, but refused to stop his hunger strike yet. "I'll wait at least till Monday, when I meet Churov (the head of the CEC), and till Tuesday, when Churov will express his official opinion. I was taught as a child, that Homeland is more important than one's own skin," the "Interfax" quotes Oleg Shein as saying.

"On Monday, we need Oleg in Moscow; he'll have to fly there. Such flight is a hard thing for a person, who is on hunger strike for so long. I think he should start already today his gradual quit out of the hunger strike - at least drink juices or something; however, so far he refuses. I hope that his common sense will prevail, and he'll understand by himself that it's time to gradually get involved in other forms of struggle - through the courts and by means of organizing a referendum," the RIA "Novosti" quotes Mr Mironov as saying.

So far, the reaction of Mr Churov to today's statements by Oleg Shein and Sergey Mironov is unknown.