Savchenko goes on 'dry' hunger strike, not drinking water for 24 hours already – lawyer
Ukrainian pilot Nadia Savchenko, charged with involvement in the death of Russian journalists in eastern Ukraine, has gone on a 'dry' hunger strike, which means she will also refuse water as well as food, despite remonstrations from her defense team, Savchenko's lawyer Mark Feygin told Interfax on Friday.
"We tried to persuade her to stop her 'dry' hunger strike, but Nadia refused. She has not been drinking water for 24 hours already and intends to continue her hunger strike until she is returned to Ukraine. This is her main demand," Feygin said.
Savchenko has agreed to a doctor's visit, but has refused to undergo any tests, he said.
"We, her lawyers, will not be able to visit Nadia during the holidays, and will be able to see her again only on March 9. If she is not taken to the court building due to the state of her health, we will go to the remand center or will look for her in Rostov hospitals," Feygin said.
Savchenko still plans to make her final address and intends to make it at the next court session if she is able to do so.
For his part, Nikolai Polozov, another lawyer representing Savchenko, wrote on his Twitter account that hundreds of people had asked Savchenko to stop her hunger strike, but her decision remained unchanged.
"I informed Nadia of a request from hundreds of people, who wrote to me yesterday asking her to stop her hunger strike. She thanks all of them, but will not change her decision," Polozov said.
Her sister and consuls plan to visit Savchenko on Friday, he added.