Udaltsov Hospitalized for 3rd Time

By The Moscow Times

Dec. 16, 2011

Opposition activist Sergei Udaltsov was briefly hospitalized early Thursday for the third time since he began a hunger strike following his election day arrest, Novaya Gazeta reported.

The Left Front leader was transported by ambulance from a detention facility on Simferopolsky Bulvar to State Hospital No. 64 after suffering acute pain in his kidneys and stomach, the paper said.

He was treated and returned to jail after five hours, Interfax reported.

Udaltsov's condition is linked to a hunger strike he has kept up since his arrest near the Sokol metro station on Dec. 4. He was initially sentenced to five days' imprisonment for disobeying police, but his sentence was later extended for another 15 days.

Nikolai Polozov, Udaltsov's lawyer, said his client is extremely weak, has lost weight and has trouble walking without assistance.

The chief doctor of State Hospital No. 64, however, assessed Udaltsov's health as "moderate."

Udaltsov has been arrested more than 100 times, chiefly for participating in unsanctioned rallies. Amnesty International has condemned his latest arrest.

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