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Artist News Legal
Pussy Riot’s Nadezhda Tolokonnikova admitted to hospital following hunger strike
By Andy Malt | Published on Monday 30 September 2013
Pussy Riot’s Nadezhda Tolokonnikova was admitted to hospital on Friday, five days after a beginning a hunger strike in protest against the conditions at the prison colony where she is currently being held.
As previously reported, Tolokonnikova was placed in solitary confinement after the publication of an open letter stating that she was going on hunger strike and complaining of “slave-like” working conditions. She also accused the deputy head of the prison of making death threats against her. Prison authorities said that the move to solitary was for “her own safety”, rather than a punishment.
According to reports, her husband Pyotr Verzilov announced that she had been taken to the prison hospital on Friday but that details about her condition were not clear. In a statement, he explained: “Nadya is now in hospital, but they’re refusing to provide documents about that, or to meet the defence. A blockade has begun”.
Also on Friday, one of Tolokonnikova’s fellow inmates, former oil tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky sent out a letter in support of her actions, though warned her against taking them too far. He wrote: “I know that you’ve got family and friends waiting for you on the outside. You’ve done a great job, you’ve really stuck it out, and you’re continuing to stick it out. All I would ask is that you carefully weigh the costs and benefits of what you’re trying to achieve with the impact it will have on your health or even your life. I am confident that the intended effect of bringing attention to the problem has already been achieved”.
