while Vasily Aleksanyan remains in detention centre.

Mikhail Khodorkovsky confirmed his intentions on Friday to continue the hunger strike until Vasily Aleksanyan is transferred to a specialist hospital.

’Khodorkovsky continues to starve himself. Doctors examine him daily and his health is stable’ a representative for the Chita detention centre told Interfax-Siberia.

His lawyer, Vadim Kliuvgant, also confirmed the continuation of Mikhail Khodorkovsky’s hunger strike.

‘There is as of yet no new information with regards to V. Aleksanyan, therefore M. Khodorkovsky continues the hunger strike’, he said.

Karinna Moskalenko, Mikhail Khodorkovsky’s other lawyer, noted that her client ’is in good health’. ‘He is now on the 11th day but his spirit is far from broken. We advised him not to go on a hunger strike, to spare his strength but Khodorkovsky had already made his mind up’.

She says that Mikhail Khodorkovsky is ’focused and energetic’.

’He has been reading the case documents yesterday and today. He is very productive and has managed to do a lot’, his lawyer noted.

(’Interfax’, 08.02.2008)