On the 19th day of the hunger strike, another former political prisoner
attempts suicide by setting himself on fire. The protesters demand
compensation for the time served in the communist prisons.
Lirak Bejko attempted self-immolation this Wednesday, receiving severe wounds. The other strikers intervened and put out the flames. He was sent to the Tirana hospital where he is receiving medical treatment. The doctors say that Bejko has fifth degree burns and in 50% of the body.
Another striker, Agim Kollcaku, was also burned while trying to put out the flames. He was treated at the ambulance and returned to the strike.
This is the second incident in a few days with the former political prisoners. This Monday, striker Gjergj Ndreca set himself on fire as a protest against the government’s silence for their requests.
The Head of the Political Prisoners, Skender Tufa, declared for Top News that the hunger strikers are determined to sacrifice themselves and that they have prepared a list with the others who will follow the same example.
“These are very severe acts, but it’s our last resort, because we have nothing to lose. The political prisoners are already dead people who walk in a road that has no dignity”, Tufa declared.
Strikers: All prepared to sacrifice
A few minutes at the hunger strikers’ tent are enough to understand that these people have nothing to lose.
The communist past has marked their life, and the present is poverty not only for them, but also for their children. The US activist against discrimination, Martin Luther King Junior, warned the modern societies that “there is nothing more dangerous than allowing a society to create a group of people who feel that they have nothing to lose”. The former political prisoners say that only the extreme measures will make this strike significant.
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