Detainees stage hunger strike in Dhoonidhoo

About 50 people detained under state of emergency powers at the police detention centre on Dhoonidhoo have started a hunger strike, according to lawyers and the joint opposition parties.

The detainees will forswear food in protest both against the acting police chief’s refusal to meet them and the failure to address complaints about prison conditions, lawyer Mahfooz Saeed tweeted.

The hunger strike comes after Chief Justice Abdulla Saeed’s lawyer found a secret recording device Wednesday during a private meeting with her client.

It is unclear if former president Maumoon Abdul Gayoom and the two Supreme Court justices are part of the hunger strike.

The opposition says more than 45 people have been detained since President Abdulla Yameen declared the state of emergency last month in reaction to a shock ruling for the release of nine prisoners.

The emergency decree suspended several constitutional rights, including freedom of assembly and due process rights on arrest and detention such as being informed of charges and taken before a judge in 24 hours.