The six detainees, who had been held for as long as 13 months, began their hunger strike on January 14th. Saleh Hamza from Lebanon, Noorhga Salem from Afghanistan Sacko Kaourou from Mali, Mohammed Seif from Egypt and Ali Akhbar from Pakistan demanded transfer and better conditions. Like hundreds of immigrants who are being held without charge in New Jersey, New York and other parts of the country, none had been charged with any crime., Abdel-Muhti the sixth hunger striker, was demanding that the INS release him at once. Abdel Muhti,  a stateless person born in Palestinehas been living in the United States for over 25 years and is a well known advocate of Palestinian causes. He was detained in April, 2002.  The hunger strike, actively supported by a network of activists, notably including Workers Democracy Network, gained widespread publicity, including stories on National Public Radio, the Associated Press and a page-9 story in the New York Times.