In a letter to the Court of Terrorism, a group of detainees in Adra prison, Eastern Damascus, declared an open-ended hunger starting on 1st of July. In the following we document their letter.
To the
Director of the Department of Public Prosecutions
– handling cases in the Court of Terrorism –
Dear Sir,
please note that there was more than one letter sent to you to inquire about our situation in the Department of Deposit in the women’s prison in Adra. None of our letters have been answered. When we asked the prison administration about our mysterious situation, the prison’s reply was always that it had nothing to do with the prison administration. Rather you officials in the Court of Terrorism were the only ones who can act and were responsible for our long and hard detention in the prison. Amongst us we have a lot of older, sick and pregnant women, mothers, university students and employees, and only a few days to the advent of Ramadan, the number of inmates is increasing day after day.
Accordingly, the inmates in the Department of Deposit in Adra prison for women have decided to start a peaceful hunger strike, starting Monday 1 July 2013. [It will continue] until our status in prison is reconsidered, our cases are dealt with and acceleratedly brought to the competent courts – noting that the detention of many of the striking imprisoned women has exceeded a period of four to six months. We draw your attention to the fact that many of the inmates are barred from communicating and getting in touch with their parents and relatives. Further, most of our parents and relatives cannot come to visit us in prison due to the current poor and unsafe conditions of the roads which increases our suffering.
Please reply to us clearly and quickly. Thank you very much.
Political Inmates in Adra prison, Department of deposit
This translation is based on the publication by the group of Free Syrian Translators.
