Fears are mounting for the health of rights activist Guo Feixiong whose weight has dropped by a third since he started a hunger strike in jail 40 days ago. Guo’s siblings are said to have been pressured into silence by security officials. His collarbones are clearly visible, and the authorities have been threatening his brother and sister from speaking to the outside world about his condition Sui Muqing, lawyer Guangzhou-based lawyer Sui Muqing, the activist’s former legal representative, said Guo was in dire health from the action he began on May 9 in protest against the treatment of political prisoners. Guo Feixiong, Chinese press freedom activist, jailed for six years over censorship protests “The hunger strike is ongoing but his weight dropped from about 75kg when he was first locked up to less than 52kg now,” Sui said. “His collarbones are clearly visible, and the authorities have been threatening his brother and sister from speaking to the outside world about his condition,” Sui added. When Guo started the strike, he said his jailors had shaved his head, filmed him being rectally probed and ordered him to “squat like a bug” in front of any guard. He demanded Chinese President Xi Jinping reform the constitution to push for democracy, abolish torture by electric shock in prisons, improve treatment of political prisoners and make the government abide by UN rights conventions. In an interview with the South China Morning Post this week, Guo’s 54-year-old sister Yang Maoping, a doctor, refused to disclose the state of her brother’s health. “I can’t discuss that with you,” Yang said, weeping. “I’ll do my best to persuade him to stop the hunger strike.” Sister of dissident Chinese lawyer Guo Feixiong vows hunger strike outside jail if his medical needs aren’t met Guo’s elder brother visited him this week, but was unavailable for comment. Guo, 49, has gone on hunger strike twice before – for 59 days when he was jailed nearly 10 years ago and for 25 days at Guangzhou’s Tianhe detention centre in 2013. His real name is Yang Maodong. He was arrested after a week-long peaceful demonstration against censorship outside the liberal Southern Weekly in Guangzhou in January 2013 and detained until November last year, when he was sentenced to six years for “gathering crowds to disturb the social order”. Last month, Yang Maoping said Guo had been passing and coughing blood and had been denied proper medical care. Guo’s will is undoubtedly strong as steel, but we are not sure how long he can last in his current state of health Wu Yuhua, Guo supporter On May 4, Guo’s supporters started an online movement to take turns at going without food. They had done so more than 300 times since then, said Wu Yuhua, Guo’s friend and a coordinator of the movement. “More than 30 participants have also been subjected to various levels of harassment. Five were recently detained,” Wu said. “Guo’s will is undoubtedly strong as steel, but we are not sure how long he can last in his current state of health.” Guo was jailed in 2006 after the publication of a book that exposed official corruption in Shenyang, Liaoning province. On his release, in 2011, he told his sister he had been tortured in jail with electric batons. He was detained and beaten in 2005 and 2006 after helping residents in Taishi village, Guangdong, in an attempt to unseat corrupt local officials.