Prisoners at the Malé Prison have gone on a hunger strike after they found the food served to them for Iftar, breakfast during the month of Ramadan, were spoilt.

An officer at the lax security facility, which is used to keep those detained in remand or awaiting a sentence, had relayed this to RaajjeMV.

The Maldives Correctional Service is yet to officially confirm or deny this, and had not responded to calls at the time of publishing. 

Reports of a hunger strike at local detention facilities had surfaced earlier this year as well. Prisoners held in Maafushi island had reportedly gone on strike after they were consistently denied access to proper health facilities.

The catering service has refuted these claims, saying that the reports are false rumours. The caterers said that the rumours are an attempt to cancel their agreement, so that another caterer can be appointed. 

In February, jailed parliamentarian Ahmed Mahloof expressed concern over prison regulations, noting that five inmates had died under sketchy circumstances during his time there.

Mahloof said that many ill inmates, some with severe mental degradation, are kept from receiving their prescribed medication for months. He also described the food served to them, as something no Maldivian would ‘willingly consume’.