Syarhei Kavalenka's hunger strike considered a mental disorder?

The Vitsebsk regional court considered the appeal against the sentence to the CCO BPF activist Syarhei Kavalenka on Tuesday. The hearing took place in the absence of the political prisoner.

According to the information provided by the human rights center "Vyasna", there were no vacant seats in the court hall an hour before the trial. Only Syarhei Kavalenka's relatives managed to enter the hall. Civil activists, HR defenders and journalists were not admitted even to the court building.

At the hearing, the court collegium prescribed that Syarhei Kavalenka should undergo a psychiatric expertise. Consideration of the appeal has been postponed till the doctor's verdict. According to preliminary diagnosis, Kavalenka has a mental disorder which reveals also in refusal to eat. Let us remind you, the Vitsebsk activist started a hunger strike in prison as a protest against the unfair, in his opinion, arrest.  

Photo — ByMedia