Taylor Luck, The Jordan Times

AMMAN — Some 120 Islamists being held in correctional centres across Jordan began a hunger strike on Sunday in protest against what they claim as “inhumane” treatment in prison, according to activists.

The detainees, all members of the hardline Jordanian Jihadi Salafist movement, say they resorted to the strike to draw attention to their treatment, claiming that the majority are being held in solitary confinement, denied family visits, clothing and even counsel with their defence attorneys.

“Once a detainee is classified as an Islamist or a jihadist, the authorities treat them worse than a murderer... they are keeping these young men shackled in solitary confinement without even the basic freedom of movement,” charged Saad Hneity, leader of the Jihadi Salafist movement, who recently served two separate periods in detention.

“We are simply demanding that these young men are given their basic rights as any other Jordanian and not treated differently from other prisoners,” Hneity said.

Taher Al Nassar, defence attorney for many of the detainees, said the detainees went on a hunger strike after the authorities allegedly failed to respond to several petitions filed by their relatives requesting that they be granted access to basic prison facilities and allowed family visits.

Public Security Department Spokesperson Major Amer Sartawi denied the Islamists’ accusations of mistreatment, stressing that the authorities treat Islamists “as any other prisoner”.

Around 80 of the detainees are being held in connection with their alleged support for Syrian jihadist groups or for attempting to cross into Syria illegally to join them, according to Islamist sources.

The hunger strike comes amid an ongoing crackdown on Jordanian and foreign fighters attempting to infiltrate Syria, which has resulted in over 300 arrests since last June, according to security sources.

Since September last year, the State Security Court has sentenced 19 Jordanians to prison sentences ranging from three to 15 years for aiding and fighting alongside Syrian jihadist groups.

According to hardline Islamists, some 2,000 Jordanians are currently fighting alongside Islamist militants in Syria, comprising the largest contingent of foreign fighters opposing the regime.

The majority, some 60 per cent, are fighting alongside the Jabhat Al Nusra coalition, with the remainder serving the ranks of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, which has been embroiled in a month-long conflict with rival rebel groups.