Ohio State Penitentiary, Youngstown, Ohio
April 11, 2013
Three inmates on death row for their alleged involvement in the 1993 Lucasville prison uprising stage a hunger strike on the 20th anniversary of the uprising. The men are protesting the state’s refusal to allow them sit-down media interviews about their cases. They are joined by a fourth inmate doing life in prison for his alleged involvement in the uprising.
“We have been suffering very torturous conditions for two decades,” said Siddique Abdullah Hasan, one of the hunger strikers. “We have never been given the opportunity completely to speak about our cases, to speak to the media — because the media has an enormous amount of power. They can get our message out to the court of public opinion.”
Prison officials cited “safety concerns” as the reason for not allowing the men to do interviews about the uprising.
Citations:
“3 Ohio prison riot convicts plan hunger strike” USA Today, April 10, 2013.
“20th Anniversary Hunger Strike Press Release” Lucasville Amnesty, April 12, 2013.
