Oct 2/13, 8pm
We learned today that Tarek and John have ended their hunger strike. They have resumed eating solid food under medical supervision. They saw a doctor, as well as staff from the Canadian Embassy, today.
Tarek and John commenced their hunger strike on September 16, a month after their arrest, to call attention to their unjust and arbitrary detention leading up to their scheduled hearing on day 45 (September 30). Their secondary demands were the improvement of the conditions of their imprisonment and increased exercise time. These were won.
Oct 2/13, 8pm
We learned today that Tarek and John have ended their hunger strike. They have resumed eating solid food under medical supervision. They saw a doctor, as well as staff from the Canadian Embassy, today.
Tarek and John commenced their hunger strike on September 16, a month after their arrest, to call attention to their unjust and arbitrary detention leading up to their scheduled hearing on day 45 (September 30). Their secondary demands were the improvement of the conditions of their imprisonment and increased exercise time. These were won.
As we know, on day 45, the Egyptian authorities extended their detention another 45 days, defying all logic, evidence, and fairness, as well as the entreaties of the Canadian government and 147,000+ people. Facing another 45 days, and having won their secondary demand, Tarek and John ended their hunger strike.
While we are relieved, we do not believe that freeing them has become less urgent. We are not willing to wait for day 90 and are not interested in the ridiculous claims made by the Egyptian authorities about the reasons for their continuing detention.
We still need the Canadian government to close the loophole and ask for Tarek and John’s immediate and unconditional release, and we hope that Canada is considering multilateral diplomacy and reconsidering some of its trade relations with Egypt.
