TEHRAN As the Turkish prisons hunger strike entered its second month, families of the strikers joined them to protest against a program under which the cells would be smaller with maximum three inmates in each.

Turkish inmates say that they would be tortured and more restricted if transferred to the smaller cells.

Some 850 inmates have gone on hunger strike for more than a month. Around 100 of them are fasting completely, while the rest are taking only water with sugar.

Amnesty International said on Wednesday that the Turkish hunger strikers could starve to death.

"The lives of these prisoners are at risk as the hunger strike has entered its 39th day and some prisoners have converted their hunger strike into a death fast" since November 19, AFP quoted a human rights watchdog press release.

They are protesting a reform program under which Ankara plans to replace existing jails which have dormitories housing up to 60 people into prisons with smaller cells accommodating a maximum of three prisoners.

In the meantime, a government spokesman said that the Turkish authorities will intervene to stop mass hunger strikes in jails across the country if the inmates do not end their protests against prison reform. "We hope that the strikes will end without any intervention," Tunca Toskay told reporters after a cabinet meeting.

"But if the protests do not stop, despite our goodwill, nobody should have doubts that the authorities will do what is required. The Health Ministry will take all the necessary measures to ensure medical intervention," Toskay said.

Toskay said the cabinet had decided not to back off from the reform and to speed up the inauguration of the new jails, which have come under harsh domestic and international criticism on the grounds that the new system will exacerbate social alienation among inmates.

In 1996, dozens of prisoners were forcefully put in hospital wings and given serum after refusing to end a hunger strike against the transfer of left-wing prisoners to maximum security jails. Twelve strikers fasted to death at the time.