European Parliament VP Picierno Agrees to End Hunger Strike Over Oleshky

European Parliament Vice President Pina Picierno has agreed to end her hunger strike after agreements on humanitarian aid and the evacuation of residents of occupied Oleshky in Kherson region, Ukraine's human rights commissioner Dmytro Lubinets said on Telegram.

Lubinets said that on October 23 he spoke with Picierno and urged her to stop the hunger strike, which, he said, already posed a serious threat to her life and health. He told her about the arrangements on a local ceasefire, which, according to him, were helped by US First Lady Melania Trump.

What the agreements include

The arrangements provide for clearing mines from the road to Oleshky, delivering food, water, medicine and equipment for the hospital, and ensuring safe movement and evacuation of civilians. The ombudsman promised to keep Picierno regularly informed about how the agreements are carried out.

Background

Picierno announced the hunger strike on October 21 to draw the attention of the international community to the humanitarian disaster in occupied Oleshky and to secure help for local residents. On Friday evening, the Ukrainian and Russian general staffs said a ceasefire in a designated area for the humanitarian operation would start from the night of October 27.

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