Nord Stream suspect ends hunger strike after Italy gives rights assurances -lawyer
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MILAN - A Ukrainian man suspected of involvement in the 2022 Nord Stream pipeline blasts has ended a hunger strike he began on October 31 after Italian authorities pledged to uphold his rights, his lawyer said on Tuesday.
The detainee, identified under German privacy laws as Serhii K., stopped the protest after receiving assurances that he would be given food meeting his medical requirements, according to his lawyer, Nicola Canestrini.
Italian authorities did not immediately comment.
Serhii K. had refused food in protest at prison conditions and over what his lawyer said was a failure to provide a suitable diet. Canestrini has previously said his client suffers from pancreatitis and coeliac disease and is vegan.
Arrested in Italy in August on a German warrant, he denies any role in the explosions that severed Russian gas supplies to Europe. An appeals court in Bologna last month ordered his transfer to Germany. He remains in a high-security Italian prison pending a further appeal.
No one has claimed responsibility for the 2022 blasts, which both Moscow and the West described as an act of sabotage. Ukraine has denied any role. REUTERS
