British celebrities and politicians are to take part in a series of hunger strikes in support of Guantanamo prisoner Shaker Aamer.
Actors Mark Rylance and Maxine Peake, as well as Conservative MP David Davis and comedian Frankie Boyle, have declared their support for the "Fast For Shaker" campaign, according to the campaign's website. Aamer's family will also take part in the strike, beginning on October 15.
Aamer, a Saudi national whose wife is British, has been held in the military prison in Cuba since 2002 without being charged.
On September 25, the BBC announced that Aamer was expected to be released and returned to the U.K. However, he was not immediately released because the U.S. Congress had to be given 30 days' notice of his release, reports Sky News. Aamer has since embarked on a hunger strike to protest his ill-treatment, according to the campaign's website. He also fears that he may not live long enough to see his family when he returns.
Organisers said in a press release that the "Fast For Shaker" initiative, part of the "We Stand For Shaker" campaign, will start on October 15 and continue until Aamer is released, with participants selecting a day to fast on.
Andy Worthington, co-director of the "We Stand With Shaker" campaign, said: "After the great news that Shaker Aamer is to be released from Guantanamo, we were all disturbed to discover that he is on a hunger strike, and wanted to show solidarity with him, and to encourage him to give up his hunger strike.
"We very much hope that he will be released at the end of the 30-day period required by Congress before prisoners can be freed, but we will continue with the hunger strike if he is not. After nearly 14 years in U.S. custody, treated brutally and never charged or tried, Shaker needs to be back with his family in London."
Aamer's family, added: "Thank you all so much for taking part in this fasting. We are touched. Our family will be joining in the fasts with all of you. Let's all bring Shaker home."
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