A group of republican prisoners in Portlaoise prison say they will start a 72-hour fast tomorrow in support of demands for segregation by prisoners in Maghaberry jail, Co Antrim.
In a statement to The Irish Times, 21 prisoners on E4 landing said they planned to "show solidarity with their comrades in Maghaberry" who are currently on a dirty protest.
The Northern prisoners are smearing their cells with excrement as part of their campaign to be segregated from loyalists. There have been clashes between the two groups, including one incident in which boiling water was thrown at a dissident republican prisoner.
The group on E4 landing includes 13 "Real IRA" prisoners and Continuity IRA, INLA and several non-aligned republicans.
The prisoners said they would refuse food from 8.30a.m. tomorrow for 72 hours.
After that, they said, they planned to stage a weekly 48- hour fast.
In their statement, they expressed "grave concern" about the situation in Maghaberry and accused the British government of withdrawing the "political status" secured by the 1981 H-Block hunger-strike.
Ms Marion Price, of the Irish Republican Prisoners Welfare Association, last night said she was "100 per cent behind" the protest and was "very worried" about the situation in Maghaberry.
Loyalist prisoners are also calling for segregation.