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Gothenburg Prisoner on Fourth Week of Hunger Strike

Erik Wijk | 14.02.2003 14:25


RIOT SENTENCED PRISONER HUNGERSTRIKES FOR FOURTH WEEK CONTINOUSLY MISTREATED BY PRISON MANAGEMENT CALL FOR SUPPORT FOR THE 32-YEAR OLD INTERN AMNESTY IS SHOWING INTEREST

A 32-year old sentenced for 'violent riot' during the EU top-meeting in Gothenburg 2001 is today, wednesday, starting his fourth week of hunger strike in protest against being wrongly convicted.

Since he January 21st came to the prison the 32-year old has been on hunger strike and have been mistreated in different ways by prison management:
-He has not received any nutrition solution.
-He has not been examined by a doctor.
-He has not been allowed to report in sick but has been threatened with
disciplinary measures for refusal to work.

Last thursday and friday he was put in a cold cell (10 degrees celsius
according to TV4-crew in place) without any water. Media attention has prevented this from being repeated.

Last monday a bloodsample was taken and on tuesday the 32-year old intern met a doctor for the first time - that didn't examine him - but only told him that bloodsample showed lack of fluid. The prison doctor explained that she couldn't arrange nutrition solution since she's been forbidden by the prison management to do it. She could neither report him sick since he is planned to be transferred to another prison with moore resources. The 32-year old intern haven't received any information about the transfer, just unprecised threats from prison staff.

Author Erik Wijk comments:
- The prison has a right to trasnfer the 32-year old since hunger strike counts as mistreatment. Worse is the threats and punishments that occurred because of "refusal to work." The 32-year old intern has demanded to be reported sick but is refused a medical examination. It is also remarkable that a doctor fails to see the best of the patient, by referring to a decision by non-medical personal.

A call against the treatment of the 32-year old intern has on www.vanster.nu
( http://www.vanster.nu/aktion/upprop/info.php?appeal=hungerstrejk_gbg)
gathered moore than 700 names. An unknown number of reports to the ombudsman of justice has been made. Protests directed to the minsiter of justice and members of the parliament have been sent.

During tuesday Amnesty International tried to contact the 32-year old intern, but it's unclear whether they got contact or not.

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The 32-year old intern is sentenced to 6 months in prison for violent rioting in Vasaparken in Gothenburg. The evidence is exclusively built on two extremely contradictory police witnesses. These police witnesses have been involved in many criticised riot-trials. Furthermore some evidence that supported the 32-year old was made unusable in police safekeeping.

For more information, contact writer Erik Wijk on telephone +46 (0)730 63 34 68 or by mail  erik.wijk@odata.se

The case of the 32-year old is described as case number 4 in Erik Wijks
book "Gˆteborgskravallerna och processerna" (The processes and riots in Gothenburg) (Manifest, 2002) pp 496-509.

The 32-year old intern asks the media and internet users not to use his name publicly.

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More about the hungerstrike on:
 http://www.dn.se/DNet/jsp/polopoly.jsp?d=147&a=105905
 http://www.sweden.indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=36879&group=webcast
 http://www.sweden.indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=36400
 http://www.sweden.indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=36556
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Addition from The Solidarity Group

MAIL YOUR SUPPORT TO THE HUNGERSTRIKING 32-YEAR OLD INTERN!

You can now mail to him via:
 prison_hungerstrike@yahoo.se

and The Solidarity Group will pass on you greetings by regular mail to him, because it's not allowed to mail to the prisons directly.

Erik Wijk