Talk:Orlando Zapata

When did he begin his hunger strike?
According to the BBC article he spent 85 days on hunger strike before he died. Some other media outlets report 86 days. A lot of sources claim he started the hunger strike on December 3, 2009 (82 days) and some on December 2 (83 days).

They can't all be right. Pristino (talk) 01:16, 24 February 2010 (UTC)

Denied water for 18 days?
A human being cannot live more than 6 days without water, especially if on hunger strike, this makes no sense at all and sounds like a hoax to me... —Preceding unsigned comment added by 85.26.37.150 (talk) 18:34, 26 February 2010 (UTC)

Sources on controversies
Not only does the claim about the denial of water for 18 days sound like a hoax, but the source is the website of a small anti-Castro group, not even a newspaper. I would include the information in the Cuban newspapers, which while interested parties, are the adequate source to cite to explain the controversies (http://www.juventudrebelde.cu/opinion/2010-02-27/para-quien-la-muerte-es-util/Tes). The main controversies are whether Zapata was a political prisoner or not, and whether his demands were about the uniform or about having TV, kitchen, and phone in his prison cell. I believe both parties' versions should be in the article until there is consensus.24.239.144.90 (talk) 19:47, 28 February 2010 (UTC)

An Austrian teenager survived 18 days without water in 1979 but that was only because he licked the moisture on the walls. I do believe Zapata was denied water but the 18 days claim is unreliable. --98.221.196.38 (talk) 20:42, 23 February 2011 (UTC)