Jordanian writers continue hunger strike

Some 26 jobless members of the league of Jordanian writers continued an open hunger strike they started on Sunday in objection to being ignored by the Jordanian government and its neglect of their difficult living conditions.

The league announced that two of the strikers were admitted to hospital. The chairman of the league, Fakhri Qawar, told the Lebanese daily al-Nahar, "This strike reveals the extent of frustration the writers had reached as the only outlet before them is to prefer death more than life," adding that, "Most of the strike holders have been prohibited from working for over 12 years during the era of martial law the country witnessed before the year 1989."

Qawar asserted that the "political stances" of several writers who are holding the hunger strike are "behind their being neglected from official sides."

The league has as its members some 400 writers. It is a cultural entity established during the 1970s. It joined the Arab Writers's Union and the Arab writers. Its members during the 1980s were exposed to harassment by the authorities.

Many of them were fired from their work, others were prevented from travelling abroad, and a military decision was taken to close off the league's headquarters in 1987 due to its "political activities." It was only permitted to restore its activities with the return of democratic life to Jordan in 1989.