Prisoners' rights in Bahrain's biggest jail are well protected and the inmates are offered services on a par with best international standards, the government said yesterday, three days after a hunger strike by 240 inmates has ended.

"Bahrain is proud of its legal and judicial system that is backed by the constitution and laws that protect human rights and respect the citizens' rights," said a statement released by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a reply to an Amnesty International report on the strike in the Jaw prison.

The inmates had gone on a hunger strike and taken control of the police building in Block 4 for two weeks, demanding better conditions; access to the jail by an independent investigation committee and a review of sentences imposed on some of them.

The strike ended on Tuesday following negotiations with the Interior Ministry which promised that all legal acceptable demands would be met.

In its statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said many international human rights organisations and societies had visited the Jaw prison and witnessed the services, programmes and facilities offered. The organisations included the Red Crescent Society and the Amnesty International.

"While the organisations praised the prison's standards, many recommendations and observations submitted by them have been implemented to improve the services and programmes," the ministry said.

It said that a field study was also carried out to focus on health care, religious services, rehabilitation and visits.

"There is a 24-hour health centre at the prison, supervised by a doctor who is assisted by nurses," it said. The prison offers religious guidance of the Sunni and Jaafari schools of thought every 15 days.

It said that the prison held workshops on carpentry, plumbing, sewing and maintenance work. Visits to the prisoners had been expanded to include relatives, the ministry said.