Saudi rights activists launch hunger strike in jail
Detained Saudi human rights activists reportedly staged a hunger strike in Riyadh’s Al-Ha ir Prison on 6 March.
Maha al-Qahtani, wife of Mohammed al-Qahtani, one of the founders of the opposition Hasm movement, said her husband and about 30 other people had started a hunger strike, including human rights defenders Fawzan al-Harbi and Aissa al-Nukhaifi.
Mohammed al-Qahtani, 55, is a Saudi economics professor, political activist, and one of the founding members of the Saudi Civil and Political Rights Association (ACPRA).
Qahtani was arrested in March 2013 and sentenced to 15 years in prison.
ACPRA members and more than 30 others are on hunger strike in al-Hair prison in Riyadh.