Ex-Yukos CEO Khodorkovsky goes on hunger strike in jail
 MOSCOW, Aug 23 (Prime-Tass) -- Mikhail Khodorkovsky, the former CEO of Russian oil major Yukos, announced Tuesday he went on hunger strike to support his business partner Platon Lebedev, who was moved into an isolation cell last week, according to the statement published on Khodorkovsky's Web site.
Both have been jailed for nine years in prison on several counts of white-collar crimes.
"I began my 'dry' hunger strike to show solidarity with my friend Platon Lebedev," Khodorkovsky said in the written statement. 'Dry' means that Khodorkovsky stopped accepting both food and drinks.
Lebedev was moved to an isolation cell after he refused to go for regular walks, according to the statement.
"But everybody understands it was just a pretext. Platon is sick and has not been able to go for regular walks for more than a year," Khodorkovsky said in the statement.
Earlier this month Khodorkovsky himself was transferred to a cell with 11 prisoners after being in a cell with a total of four prisoners.
"It is obvious my friend was thrown into the isolation cell to avenge me, inmate Mikhail Khodorkovsky, for my articles and the interview," Khodorkovsky said in the statement.
Most recently Russian business daily Vedomosti published a letter from Khodorkovsky on August 1, in which he forecast that "left parties" would win the next parliamentary and presidential elections in late 2007 and 2008 respectively.
The jailed tycoon has also announced that he might run for by-election to the State Duma, Russia's lower house of parliament. The by-election is expected in late August or early September. Under Russian law, Khodorkovsky is eligible to run for the election while appealing his verdict.
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23.08.2005 20:47
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