Hemp campaigner Bernard Rappaz says he won’t end his hunger strike and has accused doctors treating him in hospital of violating his human rights by force-feeding him.
In an interview with the Tages Anzeiger and Der Bund newspapers, Rappaz says he would rather die straight on his back than live bent over, conforming to rules he disagrees with.
Growing cannabis plants as part of his campaign for the legalization of hemp means he faces a 5-year prison sentence, which prompted him to immediately began a fast.
He’s only eaten intermittently over the past hundred days.
Earlier this week, he was moved from Geneva’s cantonal hospital—where medics were respecting his wish not to be fed—to Bern’s Inselspital, where he’s being given food against his will to keep him alive.
He’s appealed against the prison sentence, but judges have refused to suspend his term for health reasons.