Manama: A hunger strike expert has joined an international investigation commission in Bahrain to help assess the conditions of detainees who have have refused to eat.
"The Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry (BICI) has invited Dr Sondra Crosby, a very distinguished international expert on hunger strikes, to join its team in Bahrain in order to evaluate the prisoners currently on hunger strike," the BICI said on Wednesday.
Medical condition to be evaluated
"Prisoners' health will be examined and the status of their medical condition evaluated over the coming days. The expert will visit the 84 prisoners on hunger strike in Dry Docks prison as well as the 17 detainees hospitalised by the Ministry of Interior for their refusal to eat and the deterioration in their general condition. Medical advice will be provided and the expert will discuss the challenges of hunger strike with those who started it nine days ago."
The commission attributed the move to humanitarian grounds due to its deep concern with the conditions of the prisoners and detainees on hunger strike.
The commission was set up by King Hamad Bin Eisa Al Khalifa to look into alleged human rights abuses in Bahrain in February and March and their consequences. The commission will deliver its report on October 30.
