Lawyer: Risks rise as filmmaker’s hunger strike hits Day 75

MINSK, Belarus – The lawyer for a hunger-striking Ukrainian filmmaker who is imprisoned in Russia says the health risks for his client are rising as the protest enters its 75th day.

Oleg Sentsov, a vocal opponent of Russia’s 2014 annexation of Crimea, was sentenced in 2015 to 20 years for conspiracy to commit terrorism. The 42-year-old denies the charges and has been on a hunger strike since mid-May.

Lawyer Dmitry Dinze told The Associated Press on Friday that Sentsov is pale and lies down constantly because he has difficulty moving. He says “the hunger strike is continuing and with each day the risk is increasing.”

The European Court of Human Rights this week urged Sentsov to end his hunger strike. Sentsov has refused to seek a presidential pardon from Vladimir Putin.