{
  "id": 16665002,
  "title": "Russian political scientist Alexander Kynev launches hunger strike over inaccessible toilet in overcrowded jail cell, lawyer says",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/26/russian-political-scientist-alexander-kynev-launches-hunger-strike",
  "topic": "science",
  "section": "Science",
  "published": "2026-10-26T21:13:05.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Meduza (English)",
    "slug": "meduza-english",
    "url": "https://meduza.io/en/news/2026/10/27/russian-political-scientist-alexander-kynev-launches-hunger-strike-over-inaccessible-toilet-in-overcrowded-jail-cell-lawyer-says"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Political scientist Alexander Kynev, currently detained pending trial on allegations of drug trafficking, has initiated a hunger strike, according to the legal advocacy group Slovo Zashchite. His legal counsel, Mikhail Biryukov, disclosed that Kynev initiated the hunger strike due to the lack of a functional toilet in his cell, which houses 34 other inmates. \"There's a hole in the floor instead of a toilet, and he can't use it because his leg is in a cast after being broken in two places,\" Biryukov explained. \"That's why he's not eating. We've done everything we can to get him transferred today to a location that meets his medical requirements.\" Kynev has been under arrest since September 25. Slovo Zashchite had previously reported that Kynev suffered severe beatings during his arrest, resulting in a leg fracture in two locations. According to political scientist Ekaterina Schulmann, Kynev was subjected to the beatings in an attempt to force a confession of treason. Kynev denies the drug trafficking charges.",
  "summary": "Political scientist Alexander Kynev, who is in pretrial detention on charges of attempting to sell drugs, has gone on a hunger strike, the legal advocacy project Slovo Zashchite reported.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}