Jailed Belarusian Blogger Ends Hunger Strike After 42 Days

Minsk, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 26th Jan, 2021 ) :Opposition blogger Igor Losik on Monday ended a hunger strike that he began 42 days ago while in custody on charges of organising anti-government riots in Belarus.

Losik was detained last June and accused of using his popular channel on the Telegram messenger to incite riots ahead of the August presidential election.

"I decided to stop the hunger strike. Why did I do it? Definitely on my own will... I was simply shocked by the unbelievable wave of solidarity," Losik said in an open letter shared online.

He added that "hundreds and thousands" of Belarusians asked him to stop and "await our joint victory in good health".

Losik, 28, is currently awaiting trial in the notorious Okrestina detention centre in Minsk.

He announced a hunger strike on December 15 last year after he was slapped with fresh charges that could result in up to eight years imprisonment.

Belarusian rights group Vyasna declared Losik a political prisoner and demanded his immediate release.

For months after the election saw President Alexander Lukashenko secure a sixth term, the ex-Soviet country was gripped by protests that were met with a crackdown on the opposition.

Last Saturday, more than 100 demonstrators were detained by police during street rallies in the capital Minsk and other cities.

Lukashenko's opponents believe the poll was rigged and political novice Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, who ran for president in place of her jailed husband, was the true winner.

Several Western leaders have refused to recognise the Belarus election results while the European Union has imposed sanctions on Lukashenko and his allies.