Dubai, UAE–Prisoners in Bahrain have suspended a mass hunger strike after 36 days following a pledge from the Gulf monarchy’s authorities to improve conditions, activists said on Tuesday.
At least 800 inmates joined the strike, which was the biggest in Bahrain’s history, according to the activists who said some prisoners’ health was deteriorating.
Bahraini authorities have said 121 inmates took part.
Dozens of people have held scattered protests almost daily in support of the prisoners.
“It is a relief that the prolonged hunger strike has been suspended following serious concerns about the deteriorating health of many of the political prisoners,” Sayed Ahmed Alwadaei, advocacy director at the Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy, said in a statement.
“Authorities must honor their pledge and act quickly to improve prison conditions, rather than forcing prisoners to resume their strike and risk their lives to secure their basic human rights.”
Prisoners at the Jau prison, which holds dissidents detained when authorities cracked down on the 2011 protests, have been subjected to 23-hour cell confinement and restrictions on prayer, according to BIRD and the banned opposition.
The suspension of the hunger strike, which had drawn concern from the US government, comes at a time of international scrutiny with a team from the UN Human Rights Office in Geneva due to visit this week.
According to BIRD, the country’s crown prince is set to meet senior officials in Washington in the coming days.
The prisoners have been offered extra family visits, the release of some inmates from solitary confinement, more phone calls, more exposure to sunlight and a revision of healthcare services, BIRD said.
The strike was suspended late on Monday, after a meeting between jail officials, the interior ministry and a group of prisoners, the group added.
Bahrain is a key regional ally of the United States and is home to the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet.