Jailed Egyptian activists begin hunger strike

Three imprisoned Egyptian activists started a hunger strike on Wednesday in protest of bad treatment at a south Cairo prison, local media reported.

Ahmed Maher, Mohammed Adel and Ahmed Douma were given a three year sentence for breaking the new law protest, put in place by Egypt’s military government, and assaulting police officers.

The youth movement ‘April 6’ which Adel and Maher belong to, confirmed reports on Thursday that activists had begun their strike on Wednesday.

Mona Seif, a rights activist, posted a Facebook statement confirming that her brother and fellow youth activists had begun striking.

“[They] started a hunger strike in protest at their conditions in prison. For example, their winter clothes have been taken from them because — after their sentencing — they are the wrong color, and they have been given no replacements,” Seif wrote, as quoted by Egyptian news website Ahram Online.

The convictions of the trio mark the first against pro-democracy protestors arrested as opposed to supporters of ousted President Mohammed Mursi, whose Islamist supporters have borne the brunt of a deadly crackdown.