The Council of Piraeus Misdemeanor Court Judges in a ruling on Wednesday rejected the furlough request of jailed Nikos Romanos who has been on hunger strike since November 10.

21-year-old Romanos, who is serving a sentence for a bank robbery, decided to go on hunger strike after the authorities refused to grant him furlough to attend classes at a Technological Institute he was accepted.

The decision was announced on Wednesday morning, shortly after 11:30. It should be noted that today is the 23rd day of the prisoner’s hunger strike and that his health is in a very fragile state. According to Romanos’ lawyer, he has lost 17 kilos, he has a heart rate of 170 bpm and unless something changes, cardiac arrest is considered “to be expected.”

Greek comedians, celebrities, the staff of the hospital where he is currently being treated and a large faction of society supports the young man, however his desire to study cannot be facilitated by the Greek prison system.