Canadians Held in Egypt End Hunger Strike

Two Canadians held in Egypt since mid-August have ended their hunger strike after winning small concessions from their jailers, a relative of one of the men said Thursday.

John Greyson is a Toronto filmmaker and university professor, while Tarek Loubani is an emergency room doctor from London, Ontario.

They were detained in mid-August soon after trying to enter Gaza, where Greyson was scouting for a documentary and Loubani planned to help train local doctors. They were turned back at the Gaza border and later arrested after a protest in Cairo.

The two began a hunger strike on September 16, one month after their arrest, "to call attention to their unjust and arbitrary detention," said a statement issued by Greyson's sister, Cecilia.

But they have now resumed eating solid food under medical supervision after their plight was widely publicized and a secondary demand for increased exercise time was won, she added.