According to new arrivals from Tibet, on 19 April 1996 female political prisoners in Drapchi Prison went on a hunger strike as a protest against a prison order forbidding the families of the prisoners from bringing them food. The prisoners also protested against the poor prison diet.
81 of the 145 female political prisoners in Drapchi participated in this hunger strike. The remaining 64 female political prisoners are reportedly segregated from the rest of the prisoners and therefore could not participate in the hunger strike.