A small chronicle of the hunger strikes in the white cells

7th of November, 2003: the prisoners decide to go on a hunger strike for 48 hours, protesting against the special conditions of confinment which includes white cells, limited communication with their attorneys, the prohibition of correspondance and the little time allowed in the courtyard. 11th of December, 2003: Aggeliki Sotiropoulou went on a hunger strike demanding to be able to go to the courtyard like any other female prisoner and to be free to contact her attorney.
18th of December, 2003: 5 more political prisoners go on hunger strike in support to Aggeliki Giotopoulou's demands. 2nd of January: After the attorney general's commitments (some of which haven't been fullfiled yet) the hunger strike stops. 8th of August, 2004: Vassilis Tzortzatos went on a hunger strike protesting against the excruciating conditions of the white cells.
3rd of September, 2004: A crew dismantles the upper walls of the "courtyard", lowering them at 5 m, so that they can install some insulation. The prisoners see for the first time after two years a piece of the sky and are able to focus on the horizon.
17th of September, 2004: The crew returns, as was planned, to raise double solid fences on the upper parts of the walls of the courtyard, making them impenetrateable by the human eye again. The psisoners reacted, stop the crew and denying to reenter their cells. They were forced back in.
18th of September, 2004: While the prisoners are confined in their cells the crew is turning the "courtyard" to a cage. The prisoners decide to start entering on a hunger strike one by one, with Dimitris Koufontinas starting. Vassilis Tzortzatos stops his hunger strike, after 43 days. If need be, he will restart.