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Detained activists go on hunger strike in Bahrain, panel says

By Mohammed Jamjoom, CNN
Bahraini Shiite men chant anti-government slogans in the Shiite town of Sitra on March 18.
Bahraini Shiite men chant anti-government slogans in the Shiite town of Sitra on March 18.
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
  • The detained medics are charged with working against the kingdom
  • Human rights groups believe the medics are being punished for treating protesters
  • At least 30 people have been killed in the demonstrations, activists say
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(CNN) -- At least 101 detained activists have gone on a hunger strike in Bahrain, a panel appointed by King Hamad bin Isa Al-Khalifa said Wednesday.

The Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry said 84 of the prisoners taking part in the hunger strike remain in prison, while 17 detainees have been "hospitalized by the Ministry of Interior for their refusal to eat and the deterioration in their general condition."

According to rights activists in Bahrain, many of the hunger strikers are medics who are currently on trial on charges of working against the kingdom's government during large protests earlier this year.

Prosecutors have alleged the accused refused to help patients at Salmaniya Medical Complex, the main hospital in the Bahraini capital, Manama. Other charges against them include deadly assault, storing and funneling weapons to protesters, and effectively holding people hostage, according to Bahrain's Information Affairs Authority.

But human rights groups, including Human Rights Watch and Physicians for Human Rights, have said they believe Bahrain is actively targeting medical professionals for treating protesters at Salmaniya, which was taken over by security forces during the protests.

Saturday, the Bahrain Center for Human Rights issued a statement saying that "all the detained doctors currently being held at the Dry Docks prison are on hunger strike, and many are suffering serious health deterioration."

Last week, Physicians for Human Rights renewed its calls for Bahrain to "ensure that court proceedings for detained medical professionals adhere to international legal standards and remain open to observers." In a statement, the group also expressed concern at having received "new reports of detainees in poor health and on hunger strike" and asked the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry to immediately investigate their condition.

The BICI was set up by King Hamad in June to investigate reports of human rights abuses. In Wednesday's statement, the group said "prisoners' health will be examined and the status of their medical condition evaluated over the coming days." The panel also said that an international expert on hunger strikes has been invited to join its team in order to evaluate the hunger strikers.

Protests have lingered in Bahrain for months despite a crackdown by the kingdom's Sunni monarchy, backed by troops from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. More than 30 people have been killed the crackdown, in which activists say Bahraini security forces used live ammunition against protesters. Opposition groups say more than 1,000 people -- mainly Shiites -- have been detained and more than 2,000 have lost their jobs for allegedly taking part in the protests.

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