Dozens of detainees at Hama prison, in central Syria, entered their tenth consecutive day of hunger strike on 21 November. After they managed to speak to journalists over the phone, they said “we started the hunger strike [on the 12 November] to protest against the death sentences against 11 inmates [for their role in anti-government protests in 2011], and the decision to transfer them to Saydnaya,” referring to a prison near Damascus, described by Amnesty International as a “human slaughterhouse”. The inmates are calling for the sentences to be dropped, and also want guarantees that other Hama inmates, whose cases are still pending, will not be sent to death row. In 2016, riots broke out in Hama prison, after which inmates succeeded in retaining some rights in jail, including keeping mobile phones. However, after speaking to the media, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said on 20 November that the prison has cracked down on detainees, cutting the internet and confiscating mobile phones, raising concerns over the safety of those inside.