Well, let him starve

The Moscow City Court confirmed the extension of detention until March 6 for Sergei Krivov, one of the defendants in the Bolotnaya case. Krivov has been on a hunger strike for a whole month. Krivov’s defense stated at the trial that he might not live to see March 6. At the same time, the lawyer insisted that at home the Krivs would be able to quickly familiarize themselves with 18 thousand pages of the case and 20 hours of video recordings and “do this at less cost to the state,” Novaya Gazeta reports. The prosecutor responded by saying that he views Krivov’s hunger strike as pressure on the court and the investigation. The prosecutor also presented the court with a document stating that a FSIN employee allegedly saw through the camera peephole that Krivov was “secretly eating food.”

The Coordination Council of the Opposition adopted a statement calling for the release of Krivov from custody. The statement says:

“The Coordination Council of the Opposition expresses extreme concern about the hunger strike of the May 6 prisoner Sergei Krivov, which has been ongoing since December 14.
As far as we know, he protests against unfounded criminal prosecution and detention.
We believe that the detention of all prisoners in the Bolotnaya case is not based on the law, but in the case of a mature man, candidate of sciences S. Krivov, who has two dependent children, this lawlessness is especially egregious.
We consider a hunger strike to be a last resort. If S. Krivov resorted to it, if his life and health were at stake, then the courts, investigators and prosecutors are obliged to pay special attention to compliance with the law and release him from custody.
Despite all the lawlessness of the Bolotnaya case as a whole, until it is closed, its investigation can and should be carried out without the senseless and illegal detention of citizens.
We demand that the General Prosecutor's Office of the Russian Federation assess the situation surrounding S. Krivov's hunger strike and check all the circumstances related to the criminal prosecution and detention.
We demand that the Investigative Committee refrain from using the preventive measure in the form of detention as a means of unlawful pressure on the accused.
We demand that the Moscow City Court make a decision based on the law on January 14, 2013, when considering Sergei Krivov’s cassation appeal to extend his detention.
The CSO appeals to representatives of the media and human rights organizations with an appeal to pay special attention to the case of S. Krivov in connection with his long hunger strike, which is dangerous to health and life. We also appeal to the international community to do everything possible to prevent the approaching tragedy.”