Savchenko goes on "dry" hunger strike

After the court has postponed her last plea at the trial till March 9, the Ukrainian aviator Nadezhda Savchenko announced a "dry" hunger strike.

Savchenko's case is heard at the Donetsk City Court of the Rostov Region of Russia since September 22, 2015. The investigators believe that she corrected the artillery fire, and with the help thereof Ukrainian militaries attacked the settlement of Metallist in Donbas on June 17, 2014, and killed two journalists of the VGTRK (All-Russian TV and Radio Company).

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that prosecutors found that Savchenko's guilt of involvement in the murder of two employees of the VGTRK (All-Russian State TV and Radio Company), and of illegal crossing the Ukrainian-Russian border had been fully proved, and demanded 23 years of imprisonment for her. The defence has stated that it "didn't care about the term awarded to Savchenko, because the case against her is political."

Today, the Donetsk City Court of the Rostov Region has decided to postpone the trial until March 9 – the day for the defendant's plea and announcement of the date for passing the verdict, the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent reports.

After the announcement of the today's court decision, Nadezhda Savchenko said that "she would go on a 'dry' hunger strike." Her advocate Nikolai Polozov said in his conversation with the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent that on March 4 "the advocates would visit Nadezhda Savchenko at the SIZO (pre-trial prison) and try to persuade to stop the hunger strike."

Nadezhda Savchenko is among the persons recognized as political prisoners by the Human Rights Centre (HRC) "Memorial".

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