The Crimean journalist Iryna Danylovych gone on dry hunger strike

Sytnikov Maksym
Sytnikov Maksym
Deputy executive director
The Crimean journalist Iryna Danylovych gone on dry hunger strike
Ірина Данилович

On March 21, the civic journalist Iryna Danylovych who was illegally imprisoned by the Russian occupiers, informed about the beginning of her dry hunger strike in protest against her denial of medical care. She also refused to familiarize with the materials of the criminal case which the occupiers ‘sew’ against her.

In her statement, Iryna Danylovych informed that she had never been provided with medical care throughout the four months she had spent in Simferopol detention center. During all this time, the journalist has been suffering hearing impairment and unbearable pain in her left ear. Being a nurse by training, Iryna Danylovych considers these symptoms of microstroke. Despite her evident need for a physical examination, the occupiers deny her of medical care. Moreover, Iryna Danylovych informs that her health conditions are going from bad to worse also because of her being regularly convoyed from Simferopol detention center to the illegal ‘Feodosia city court’ for familiarization with the materials of the criminal case.

In conclusion, Iryna Danylovych stated that she considered such kind of treatment tortures and refused from future familiarization with the materials of the criminal case until she would be provided with medical care. She has gone on dry hunger strike since March 21, 2023.

Earlier, the imprisoned journalist’s father Bronislav Danylovych informed that Iryna Danylovych had fainted while being convoyed to the illegal ‘court’. She had asked about moving the date of the familiarization because she was often losing coordination and had been close to fainting. Despite that, the documents had been drawn up at the detention center that she had no medical contraindications for convoying. This is related to the ‘court’s’ interest in quickly finishing the process of the familiarization with the materials of the case and passing them to the ‘court’ of appeal.

Iryna Danylovych is a civic journalist. She cooperated with many independent media such as the INzhyr media project and the Crimean Process initiative. Since April 2022, Danylovych has been imprisoned for political reasons in occupied Crimea. On December 28, 2022, the occupational authorities sentenced Iryna Danylovych for seven years in prison and fined her 50 thousand rubles on false charges for ‘possession of explosives’.

Apart from Iryna Danylovych, at least 16 Ukrainian journalists are currently incarcerated in temporarily occupied Crimea and the Russian Federation.

march 22, 2023
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