Hunger strikes are often used in India as a method of protest — but try being on one for 12 years.
That's how long it's been since Irom Sharmila last ate on her own. She is protesting an Indian law that suspends human rights guarantees in conflict-ridden parts of the country. The government is force-feeding her through a tube. And on Monday, Sharmila was charged with attempted suicide.
First, some background: Sharmila is protesting the Armed Forces Special Forces Act, an Indian law that gives special powers to the country's military in restive regions. The law is in force in the state of Jammu and Kashmir, as well as across the country's northeast, the scene for decades of several separatist movements. Sharmila is from Manipur, one of these northeastern states. Here's how The Associated Press describes the law:
"Under the law, in effect in Indian-ruled Kashmir and parts of the country's northeast, troops have the right to shoot to kill suspected rebels without fear of possible prosecution and to arrest suspected militants without a warrant. It also gives police wide-ranging powers of search and seizure."