Hunger strike of blogger Knedlyakovsky in Krasnodar supported by activist Chirikov

Alexei Knedlyakovsky and Victor Chirikov, arrested for participation in the action near the monument to Dzerzhinsky in Krasnodar, have gone on a hunger strike, their advocates have reported. The advocate of Mr Chirikov said that a complaint had been lodged against the arrest. The advocate of Mr Knedlyakovsky is concerned about his client's health.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on December 23, the Leninsky District Court of Krasnodar found the blogger and painter Alexei Knedlyakovsky guilty of disorderly conduct and sentenced him to 15 days of arrest; the same penalty was imposed on the Krasnodar activist Victor Chirikov.

Alexei Knedlyakovsky was charged with petty hooliganism after posting in social networks a photo of the monument to Felix Dzerzhinsky in Krasnodar, to pedestal of which a Catholic cross was attached, while Victor Chirikov faced the same charge also in connection with the same action – attachment of a cross to the monument to Dzerzhinsky.

The advocate Alexei Avanesyan has reported that Chirikov did not complain about the conditions of his custody at the SIZO (pre-trial prison).

Earlier, Dmitri Shevchenko, the Deputy Coordinator of the "Ecological Watch for Northern Caucasus" (EcoWatch), said that Victor Chirikov came in touch with his friends and complained about poor conditions at the SIZO.

The health status of Alexei Knedlyakovsky is deteriorating, but he refuses to stop the hunger strike, said his advocate Alexander Popkov, adding that his client was on hunger strike for five days and felt very weak.

Marina Kaluzhskaya, a member of the Public Oversight Commission (POC), has promised that soon the POC members would visit the SIZO.

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