Right to starve

On September 22, the Security Committee of the State Duma of the Russian Federation will consider the government bill “On Amendments to Articles 76 and 116 of the Criminal Executive Code of the Russian Federation,” the second part of which introduces a ban on collective protest hunger strikes and collective self-mutilation. If the committee approves the bill on October 5, it can be adopted in the first reading.

As human rights activists remind, collective protest hunger strikes and collective self-harm are the only peaceful protests available to prisoners. If the bill passes, they will become criminal offenses in their own right. “Even in Soviet times, collective hunger strikes and self-harm were not considered a malicious violation of the regime,” the Human Rights Movement said in a statement.

Human rights activists note that currently there is an annual increase in cases of mass hunger strikes and self-inflicted wounds by prisoners, which indicates a worsening situation in places of detention. The adoption of a law that deprives prisoners of the right to protest will, in their opinion, lead to a catastrophe with the observance of human rights in places of deprivation of liberty, depriving prisoners of the last means to stop arbitrariness, bullying and torture.

Human rights activists, public figures, writers and scientists have already appealed to deputies with an Appeal to reject the bill.

The Movement for Human Rights and affiliated organizations will picket the State Duma building on the eve of consideration of the bill.

The action will be carried out in the form of rotating single pickets that do not require approval, which will take place on September 20 and 21 from 10 to 11 am.