At least 400 women have been on hunger strike for more than a week in a high-security prison in the Iraqi capital Baghdad. They are imprisoned because they are said to be part of the terrorist organization Islamic State, the BBC reports. The women claim they have not had a fair trial.
The hunger strike is a protest against their convictions and the poor living conditions in the prison. Detainees would be put in a cell with 40 women, beaten and treated in an inhumane way.
The group on hunger strike is said to consist partly of women from other countries, including Germany, France, the United States, Russia, Turkey and Ukraine.
Video footage obtained by the BBC shows women lying motionless on the ground. Presumably, the group has not eaten since April 24. At the start of the hunger strike, they reportedly drank half a glass of water a day. Some women have now also stopped doing so, according to the British broadcaster.
The women were sentenced to prison terms ranging from 15 years to life. Several prisoners have also been sentenced to death, but no executions have yet taken place in the prison.
The Iraqi criminal justice system has long been criticized for allegations of unfair trials and abuses. The Iraqi government declined to comment to the BBC.
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