Irom Sharmila

Indian civil rights activist with world's longest hunger strike

Known as the Iron Lady of Manipur, Irom Sharmila (b.1972) fasted for 16 years (2000-2016) against AFSPA - a law granting military impunity in conflict zones. Her 500-week protest remains history's longest hunger strike.

Triggered by the Malom massacre where soldiers killed 10 civilians, Sharmila's campaign exposed human rights violations in Northeast India. Despite force-feeding through nasal tubes, she maintained her Fast-Unto-Death demanding AFSPA repeal.

Her non-violent resistance inspired the Save Democracy Repeal AFSPA movement documented in HRW reports. Though she ended the fast to contest elections, Sharmila's activism forced India's Supreme Court to review 1,528 alleged extrajudicial killings in Manipur.