Sulaiman Dakdouk Castro was transported to Tzanio General State Hospital in the afternoon, after the opinion reports written by the surgeon of Koridalos prison and another doctor that Castro chose. Those reports testified the deterioration of detainee’s health and the possible need for a surgical operation so as to prevent perforation of intestine. The case was treated by the doctors reseting the prolapse, without any sort of surgical operation. He was trasported back to prison, although the doctor of his choice disagreed. Yesterday, Carlos Martinez was taken to the Nikaea General State Hospital.

The authorities were on again stringing along, as usually do. Doctors and lawyers find the same difficulties in having contact with the hunger-strikers, during both their transport from Thessaloniki to Athens and their trasports to hospitals in Athens. The advocates, members of the Legal Team 2003, denounce the refusal and the unwillingness of the authorities to provide information for the moves of the hunger-strikers and their possible future trasports. The members of the medical staff of Koridalos Prison Hospital refuse to provide information to Simon Chapman’s lawyer, because –as they said- “they might lose their job”, while they hanged up the phone when Castro’s lawyer called and asked for information. At 12.30 the doctor of the prison told the advocate that the two hunger-strikers were not trasported to any state hospital and were wating in the prison hospital. At the same time, the guard of the prison was telling their doctor that the detainees had been taken to a hospital, obviously trying to prevent him from entering the prison. The doctor finally succeeded in examining the hunger-strikers and testified the deterioration of their health, while he insisted that they should be transported to a state hospital. At 16.30 only Castro was taken to Tzanio Hospital, and returned, while Simon stayed in prison, without having been transported anywhere.

The communication with the hunger strikers was denied to their advocates, who didn’t succeed in meeting either the detainees who stayed in prison hospital, or the ones who are in Nikaea Hospital. Keep in mind that in Nikaea hospital, are Fernando Perez since 11/11, Spiros Tsitsas since 20/11 and Carlos Martinez since yestreaday, 21/11. Spiros Tsitsas’ and Carlos Martinez were transported to the same hospital for a second time, as they were taken there at 15/11 (the former) and at 16/11 (the latter), and brought back to prison at 18/11.