Evgeny Vitishko goes on hunger strike

On September 29, in a penal colony in the Tambov Region, Krasnodar ecologist Evgeny Vitishko declared a hunger strike in protest against the courts' decisions to refuse conditional early relief (CER) and commutation of the sentence. This has been reported today by advocate Sergey Loktev.

Evgeny Vitishko, an activist of the "Ecological Watch for Northern Caucasus", is serving his term in the Tambov Region, awarded to him under the case of damaging the fence around the territory, known as the "dacha" of Alexander Tkachov, who was then the governor of the Krasnodar Territory.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on April 15, the Kirsanov District Court of the Tambov Region refused to release Evgeny Vitishko in CER. On June 25, the Tambov Regional Court dismissed the appeal against the decision on refusal in CER. On July 31, the Court refused Evgeny Vitishko in commutation of his sentence on the grounds that he had too many penalties imposed by the administration of the penal colony.

According to advocate Sergey Loktev, Evgeny Vitishko started an indefinite hunger strike.

"He starts his hunger strike to protest against the courts' decisions to refuse him in CER and commutation of sentence," said Sergey Loktev.

The advocate has noted that his client started his hunger strike yet on September 29, the "RAPSI" (Russian Agency of Legal and Judicial Information) reports.

Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.