Crimean Activist Kolchenko Convicted In Russia Goes On Hunger Strike Demanding Release Of Film Director Sentsov

Crimean activist Oleksandr Kolchenko convicted in Russia went on a hunger strike demanding the release of Ukrainian film director Oleh Sentsov.

Mediazona publication announced this with reference to the lawyer Andrii Lepekhin, Ukrainian News Agency reports.

According to Lepekhin, Kolchenko announced the hunger strike on May 31.

He has no other demands than Sentsov's release.

Sentsov himself went on a hunger strike on May 14.

As Ukrainian News Agency earlier reported, lawyers of Ukrainian film director Oleh Sentsov convicted in Russia say he is determined to continue his hunger strike until his death or release of 64 political prisoners.

First Deputy Chair of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine / Representative of Ukraine in the Humanitarian Subgroup of the Trilateral Contact Group (TCG) for the Settlement of the Situation in Donbas (Ukraine-OSCE-Russia), Iryna Heraschenko has stated that Ukraine is ready to transfer to Russia 20 prisoners from Ukraine in exchange for Crimean activist Oleksandr Kolchenko imprisoned in Russia, convicted movie-maker Oleh Sentsov and other persons unlawfully kept in Russian prisons.