A day without proper, nutrient-dense food is a day your body pays the price with your health.
But how many days are people in detention going without proper nutrition?
Unreliable air conditioning, unreliable hot water, poor hygiene, inadequate food, insufficient protein, and limited access to sunlight raise serious concerns about the conditions people may be living under.
When the body is deprived from within, the damage can become a form of suffering that people cannot simply see from the outside. It can lead to:
• Loss of muscle mass
• Loss of bone mass and impaired bone health
• Hormonal imbalances
• Micronutrient deficiencies
• Impaired brain function and cognitive problems
• Weakening of the immune system
• Reduced physical recovery and performance
• In severe, prolonged malnutrition, loss of tissue and impaired organ function
And with prolonged lack of sunlight, vitamin D deficiency becomes another concern.
This is not only about my brothers. It applies to every person held in pre-trial detention who has the presumption of innocence, and to anyone living under the same conditions.
A prison system should never forget that the people inside it are still human beings with nutritional, medical, and physiological needs.
We understand human physiology better than ever. We know what prolonged deprivation can do to the body.
So this is bigger than one group of men. It is about the entire system. Adequate nutrition, protein, hygiene, medical care, sunlight, and humane living conditions are not luxuries. They are basic requirements for human health.
No one should be left to suffer inside their own body while the world simply looks away.