'Women in Black' escalate hunger strike until Chavez releases Venezuelan political prisoners

'Women in Black' escalate hunger strike until Chavez releases Venezuelan political prisoners

Women in Black hold strike until political prisoners that were promised to be released by Hugo Chavez, are freed.

CARACAS - On August 5, 2011, three members of the Venezuelan Organization "Women in Black" began a hunger strike outside the building of the Attorney General in Caracas in support of political prisoners in the country.

The aim of the Women in Black is to make President Chavez decree an amnesty for political prisoners because the human rights of those prisoners have not been respected.

These women decided to start a hunger strike due to violation of the agreements that the government had promised in February this year when a group of students made a similar protest.

After more than a month on hunger strike, and without obtaining any response from the President, the women have decided to increase the intensity, and the danger, of the protest. Sonia Camacho, one of the strikers and General Coordinator of the group, sent a letter to all ambassadors to the Organization of American States (OAS), saying:

"Due to the lack of a constructive response from the Government of Venezuela, after nearly 40 days of hunger strike, we have decided to increase the intensity of our protest (...) on Tuesday September 13 we are going to abstain from consuming any liquids "

The Women in Black, supported by several civil society organizations in Venezuela, are urging the OAS to take action. They do not intend to stop the strike until this issue is included in the list of topics of a meeting of the OAS Permanent Council.

According to the letter, the women are willing to give their lives to bring attention to the increasing list of political prisoners under the regime of Venezuelan autocrat Hugo Chavez.