You're reading: Penitentiary service: Tymoshenko not on hunger strike, refuses to confirm this officially

The State Penitentiary Service of Ukraine has said that former Ukrainian Premier Yulia Tymoshenko did not announce a hunger strike, but refuses to confirm this in written form.

"On April 25, convict Yulia Volodymyrivna Tymoshenko was briefed on order No. 127 dated June 12, 2000 of the State Department of Ukraine for Execution of Punishments on the conditions of imprisonment and the procedure of compulsory feeding of people that refuse to eat in state penal establishments," reads a document dated April 25 signed by Head of the Kachanivska Penal Colony Ivan Pervushkin, the head of the medical unit and other officials of the colony on the Web site of the State Penitentiary Service.

"Convict Tymoshenko told employees of the colony that she was not on a hunger strike, but refused to confirm this in written form," reads the document.

The head of the colony held with Tymoshenko an explanatory conversation to prevent and avoid "cases of rejection of food."