Friday the Angolan rapper Luaty Beirão, aka Ikonoklasta, began a nude, silent hunger strike to protest conditions in Viana District Prison, where he was held as a prisoner of conscience.

Beirão, who became increasingly critical of human rights violations in Viana, was forcibly relocated to the São Paulo Hospital in Luanda. It is upon his arrival that he began the hunger strike to protest his relocation. The rapper’s sister said that he preferred to stay in Viana to protest the violations he saw there.

Luaty Beirão is pictured in a music video. His songs are known throughout Angola for calling for democracy and the resignation of President Jose Eduardo dos Santos (YouTube.)

Beirão was arrested in June 2015, on charges of “rebellion against the president of the republic, criminal association and falsifying documents.”

The artist, who performs under the stage name Ikonoklasta, was sentenced along with 16 other members of a pro-democracy book club. While Beirão was sentenced to 5.5 years, other members’ sentences ranged from 2 to 8.5. Evidence used against the group included reading a book on nonviolent protest.

Beirão is a veteran to hunger strikes, having gone 36 days without food in response to his original arrest last year.

Immediately before Beirão’s sentencing, five Vietnamese political prisoners had their demands met after a 13-day hunger strike. It is unclear what exact violations Beirão is protesting, or under what conditions he will return to eating and speaking.

The Voice Project is continuing to monitor Beirão’s situation and campaign for his unconditional release.