A Swiss woman jailed in Europe’s last dictatorship Belarus for her alleged participation in anti-government protests has gone on hunger strike to protest the harsh conditions under which she has been held for over a year.

Natallia Hersche, 52, has been in a Belarusian prison since 19th September 2020 after the Swiss citizen, who also holds a Belarusian passport, allegedly took part in a demonstration against Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, 67, who is widely regarded as “Europe’s last dictator”.

Hersche travelled from her home in St Gallen in Switzerland to the Belarusian capital Minsk to take part in protests against the regime, which has seen Lukashenko rule Belarus since 1994 thanks to the backing and military support of the Kremlin.

She is accused of having torn the balaclava off a police officer’s head during her arrest. She is also accused of having scratched the officer.

She was jailed for two and a half years for the alleged assault on the cop.

Her brother, who has not been named, has claimed that his sister is being “tortured” and that the food is so bad that she only weighed 53 kilogrammes (8 stone) when he visited her last in her cold cell.

Hersche has reportedly been moved from prison to prison five times since her arrest. She is reportedly being held at the Mogilev prison, which is considered particularly strict and where she has been since October.

She first went on a hunger strike in March 2021 to protest the forced labour that she was being made to carry out. Now she is reportedly locked in a solitary cell and no longer has to work with the other women.

While she was happy about this at first, the authorities have reportedly tightened the reins on her and taken away her stationery and her diary. It is also alleged that the authorities are withholding numerous letters addressed to her.

She has now reportedly gone on another hunger strike to protest the conditions under which she is being held prisoner.

Swiss newspapers are reporting that Switzerland is planning to send a new ambassador to Minsk in the coming days. One of the diplomat’s missions will be to meet with Lukashenko to discuss the Swiss citizens currently in custody in Belarus.

But opposition parties in Belarus have reportedly slammed the move by Switzerland, reportedly saying that the inaugural visit by the ambassador would achieve nothing more than to legitimise a terrorist thug.