Inna Mizrukhina, wife of Prisoner of Conscience Lev Elbert, has stopped her month-long hunger strike, the National Conference on Soviet Jewry reported today. She was persuaded to discontinue her life-threatening fast by her brother, Aleksandr Mizrukhin, who telephoned her yesterday from Denver. He is in the United States under the sponsorship of the National Jewish Community Relations Advisory Council to gain support for Elbert.
Inna Mizrukhina began her strike in protest over the Ukranian authorities’ handling of her husband’s case, particularly the trumped up drug charges against him, the NCSJ reported. Authorities have charged that Elbert was discovered to have received narcotics in a coat that was smuggled in to him in prison.
Mizrukhina, in critical condition and unable to walk, recently described her hunger strike as “the only weapon I have left.” She is now in Moscow for a meeting with the Chief Procurator’s office.
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