Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya: “Mikalai Autukhovich has been refusing food and water for 19 days. He went on a dry hunger strike because he was deprived of correspondence – even his mother’s letters. And when in the "courtroom" Mikalai asked to call an ambulance, "judge" Makim Filatau – I am mentioning this name on purpose – said that Mikalai "just needs to eat". I can't imagine more cynical words in this situation.
We all have no idea what it is like to be Mikalai Autukhovich. To have been a political prisoner back in the 2000s, to have lost all his business and property because the regime confiscated everything, to have served more than 8 years in prison, and now to be politically imprisoned for the third time. And to bring himself to the 19th day of hunger strike. With the purpose of receiving letters. I don't know other people who could do that.
I appeal to his jailers: so that the man does not die of hunger in prison, you must give him his letters back. I appeal to the "judge", Maksim Filatau: you are now consciously choosing to take the man's life, and it will not go unpunished. I appeal to Belarusians – please don't keep silent about Mikalai Autukhovich: we have to shout about him.”
