Ukraine's Savchenko goes on hunger strike over detention
Ukrainian lawmaker Nadiya Savchenko began a hunger strike on Friday to protest her detention on charges of planning a coup against the government, less than two years after being welcomed home as a national hero, APA reports quoting Reuters.
Savchenko, an ex-helicopter navigator who served time in a Russian jail as a prisoner of war, was detained in Kiev on Thursday. Authorities charged her with planning an attack on parliament using grenades and automatic weapons.
Since her return to Ukraine, Savchenko has been a frequent and outspoken critic of the administration in Kiev. She says the authorities set up the coup plot to discredit her, but she does not deny seeking to overthrow the government.
Speaking at a televised hearing to determine her status until a trial, Savchenko said she would protest her treatment the same way she did her imprisonment in Russia.
“I will go on a hunger strike from today and again show all the unbelievers,” she said. “I will show the Ukrainian people what a hero is.”
Follow us on Telegram
t.me/apanewsaz
Follow us on Instagram
Follow us on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter
