Geneva prisoner takes vegan diet case to ECHR

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A prisoner being held at Champ Dollon in Geneva is taking authorities to the European Court of Human Rights for not supplying him with a proper vegan diet.

The case could have an impact on prison food across the continent. 

Switzerland has been asked by the court to respond to the complaint. 

The prisoner is a 28-year-old animal rights activist and has been jailed for criminal damage against butcher shops. He says he’s surviving on side dishes, rice salads and bread rolls. 

A doctor has diagnosed him with constipation, haemorrhoids and an iron deficiency. 

He's refusing to take dietary supplements.

The court ruling could have a major impact in the food served by prisons and hospitals if the court decides veganism is an ethical belief system. 
Switzerland has four months to respond. 

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