A suspected terrorist from Cooksville, jailed for more than three years for being an alleged threat to national security, went without food for nearly a month to protest what he calls unfair and deplorable conditions in his jail cell.

Hassan Almrei, 31, ended his 30-day hunger strike this week and will instead take his case to Superior court, according to Diana Ralph, who Almrei considers his adopted Canadian mother.

It was the second hunger strike the Syrian refugee has endured in 18 months.

Almrei is demanding the provincial Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services allow him the same rights as inmates in federal penitentiaries. Those rights include access to television and radio, the right to wear his own clothes and one hour a day of exercise in a "natural environment," instead of the 15 minutes he currently receives, said Ralph.

"His condition has worsened in the last month without food. He's lost several pounds. All he was having was water and juice," said Ralph of Almrei, who is been held in solitary confinement at the Metro West Detention Centre since Oct. 19, 2001. "But he will continue fighting because the conditions in provincial jails are far worse than in federal institutions. Hey, the last time he fought, it paid off."

Almrei's first hunger strike, which lasted 39 days and resulted in a 100-pound weight loss, garnered national attention in the fall of 2003. Almrei protested freezing conditions in his cell and the fact that he couldn't wear shoes in solitary confinement.

Almrei took his case to Superior court, and in late 2003, a judge ordered prison officials to give him shoes and maintain a warm temperature in the unit.

It's going to take another court order for Almrei to win his case this time, according to Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services spokesperson Julia Noonan.

"Some of the things he's requesting, like TV and his own clothing, he just can't have in segregation," she said, adding all provincial inmates must wear province-issued clothing. "If the court provides the Ministry with an order, then we'll comply."

Because of Almrei's hunger strike, nurses and prison officials are monitoring his condition daily, Noonan said.

Almrei is fighting another case in federal court, possible deportation back to Syria.

The Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) alleges Almrei is linked to Osama bin Laden and a forgery ring with international connections.

COPYRIGHT 1996 - 2005 METROLAND PRINTING, PUBLISHING AND DISTRIBUTING. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED