‘Hungry Inmates’ Go On Hunger Strike

-Demand Intervention

By Esau J. Farr

Inmates in Grand Gedeh County are said to be on a hunger strike in that part of the country, that’s according to ELBC correspondent.

The local journalist in the county reported that the decision of the inmates to go on the indefinite hunger strike was triggered by the alleged cut in their food ration at the prison center.

The inmates told ELBC correspondent in Grand Gedeh that they were taking the action as a result of decision by prison authorities and correction officers to allegedly reduce their food ration from eating three times a day to one time a day, something they described as violation of their rights and inhumane treatments.

They are further quoted as saying that “to add insult to injury, the one-time food schedule allegedly imposed on them by correction officers does not even come on time.”

“We used to eat three times a day, but this time around, we are only fed one time a day and the food comes very late and we don’t know what is responsible for the delay in bring our food on time,” the inmates are quoted as saying.

“The food they can bring to us here at the prison compound can be very small to the extent that each prisoner here can be given only one cook-spoon full of rice for the whole day,” they complained to ELBC correspondent who visited the area recently.

The local journalist quoted the head of the prison, Joseph Sumo as confirming the hunger strike being staged by the angry and hungry inmates saying, their bosses are being informed about the matter and it will be put under control soon.

Several human rights organizations and watch groups have repeatedly labeled or placed Liberia on the lists of countries with poor sanitary and unhygienic conditions, marred by overcrowding, but not much is being done to amicably address the situations.