Refugees in Czech facility continue hunger strike

Refugees in Czech Drahonice detention center on Thursday continued their hunger strike they launched on Tuesday, said Mikulas Vymetal, a protestant priest who cooperates with them.

Czech foreigner police spokeswoman Katerina Rendlova said that the situation in the centre is considerably calmer than in the past two days, and some hunger striker shrunk and received the ordered food.

Rendlova said 36 people did not come for breakfast and 31 did not come for lunch in the Drahonice centre on Thursday, while 38 did not take dinner on Wednesday night, so the number is decreasing.

Rendlova said some of the hunger strikers also ordered packages with food and supplies through the service of the detention center.

She said there are needed fruit, biscuits or cigarettes in the packages which were delivered to the refugees on Thursday, and all of them have been taken over.

Therefore, authorities did not know exactly how many people actually held a hunger strike, the spokeswoman said.

Medical examinations of detained refugees on Wednesday and Thursday showed that the hunger strikers have had some food within hours.

About 40 refugees, mainly Iraqis, started a hunger strike on Tuesday in protest against their detention in the Czech Republic and the possible deportation to their home countries.

The situation in Drahonice escalated on Wednesday evening when two refugees harmed themselves and one attacked a security guard and was also injured.

The former prison in Drahonice was turned into a detention centre for illegal immigrants recentally. More than half of its 240 beds are currently occupied and only men are staying in the facility.

Czech Justice Minister Robert Pelikan visited the Drahonice facility on Saturday. He said he was satisfied with the conditions of refugees in it. Enditem