Lawyers' Statements : "I have absolutely no doubts that Mikhail Borisovich began the hunger strike"

Defense Lawyer Yuri Schmidt
August 24, 2005
Attempts by the Federal Penitentiary Service to deny the fact that Mikhail Khodorkovsky has gone on a hunger strike are additional examples of cynicism and incompetence by state officials. In his statements, the head of Federal Penitentiary Service Yuri Kalinin has repeatedly slandered [Khodorkovsky]. Now he is trying to pretend that he knows nothing about the hunger strike and is intentionally deceiving the public. Even the jailers of the academic Sakharov did not reduce themselves to such methods.

I can not understand why Kalinin is commenting on the hunger strike situation at all. It is not his business. Khodorkovsky is currently in a prison of preliminary detention which is not under Kalinin’s supervision.

I have absolutely no doubts that Mikhail Borisovich began the hunger strike though I have not seen him for a long time. He is not the kind of man who would manipulate with such things. Khodorkovsky is in a large cell and it is impossible to conceal the hunger strike from his cellmates. Even if he wanted to deceive people it would become known to everyone.

The term of the hunger strike is clear – 7 days. This is the term of Platon Lebedev's detention in the punishment cell. In 7 days he should return to his cell and Khodorkovsky will finish the hunger strike.

A hunger strike usually begins right after informing the prison administration about it. Sometimes an individual is doubtful of his strength and starts a hunger strike without announcing it. When he adapts to this condition he informs the administration about it.

I am sure that after today’s reports the pretrial detention center administration will visit Khodorkovsky and record the fact of his hunger strike. They have special instructions how to act in such cases. However, I would not be surprised if the Federal Penitentiary Service instead states that it has no prisoner named Khodorkovsky and that the trial of Mikhail Borisovich is an invention of mass media.

I feel that officials of this service do not realize that apart from criminal responsibility there is responsibility to one’s conscience. And this kind of responsibility is much more weighty.

(MBK Press-center, 8.24.2004)