Ukrainian Businessman Vadim Vassilenko Is on Hunger Strike in New York Prison

Online, October 26, 2011 (Newswire.com) - A businessman from Ukraine, Vadim Vassilenko, 44, who was arrested by the New York county prosecutors in the United States in February 2006 on various charges related to his e-commerce activity, was fed up by very long pre-trial detention and as a form of protest on September 19 2011 at 15:00 Vassilenko passed a written notice of hunger strike to the Deputy of Warden of the Manhattan Detention Complex.

A week later September 27 2011 Vassilenko was transferred to the notorious Rikers Island for psychiatric evaluation and housed at AMKC(C-71), 718-546-35-50.

Vassilenko strongly denies that he is mentally unstable, nevertheless he was assigned to be held in Mental Observation Housing Unit 1MOD Lower, cell #4, at C-71 and placed under 3 shifts 24/7 life surveillance. A log book has been kept every 15 minutes by the Correctional Officer and signed by the supervising captains and Deputy of Warden.

According to Vassilenko, since September 27 2011 until October 10 2011 he was illegally held off from the world at AMKC. No incoming or outgoing mail was allowed, no phone calls, no outside recreation, no law library. Vassilenko was offered prison meal three times a day and had an opportunity to purchase additional food from the commissary store, but he denied to accept any food as a form of protest against his 69 month of pre-trial detention.

September 30 2011 the Ukrainian Consul Honorable Bohdan P. Movchan (212-371-69-65) visited Vassilenko at AMKC, as well as three times more after that. Consul Movchan was able to notify Vassilenko's mother in Ukraine about the seriousness of the current situation. In addition, the Consul General of Ukraine raised an issue in regard to why for two weeks while held at AMKC Vassilenko was not allowed to have an access to the phone, and even to call his attorney of record when court did not impose any phone calls restrictions upon Vassilenko.

As a result of the Ukrainian diplomats efforts on October 18 2011 an auditor from the New York City Board of Correction Ms. Ezeji (212-788-78-40) visited AMKC and has documented multiple violations which occured during Vassilenko's detention at the mental observation housing unit.

While at AMKC Vassilenko was under daily medical and psychiatric check-ups by physician Dr. Win, psychiatrist Mrs. Stevenson. It was documented that Vassilenko has lost about 30 pounds (15 kg) of weight. On October 14 2011 Vassilenko's blood pressure went down to 60-to-90. Multiple blood tests had indicated that glucose, blood protein, cholesterol, bilirubin and metabolism went significantly down while potassium and uric acid went up.

Four different psychiatrists were not able to convince Vassilenko to start taking anti-depressants or to stop his hunger strike. On October 21 2011 on the 32nd day of the hunger strike after it became obvious that Vassilenko is not going to stop what he has started he was transferred back to the Manhattan Detention Complex.

Vassilenko said that last two weeks at AMKC he was able to contact several mainstream media reporters in the United States but none of them was interested even to talk about his hunger strike not to mention to cover it in the press which reminded him the old Soviet Union where everybody knows everything but noone writes about it.

"My mother begged me to start eating but I answered that I'm fed up with all the delays and I will continue my hunger strike as long as I can." - Vassilenko said on his 36th day of the hunger strike. Next court is scheduled December 14 2011, Defense Attorney is Rick Pasacreta.

More on Vassilenko's case:

An article in The New York Times

An article in The New York Post

A TV report about Vadim Vassilenko (in Russian)

Vadim Vassilenko's blog