Freed activist won't stop 14-year hunger strike

New Delhi - India's most famous prisoner of conscience has walked free after nearly 14 years in prison, but she vows to continue the hunger strike that landed her in prison for attempted suicide.

Irom Sharmila's brother, Singhjit Irom, said on Thursday that she would continue her fast to protest against an Indian law that suspends many human rights protections in areas of conflict.

Sharmila has not eaten a single morsel of food voluntarily since November 2000, when she began her protest. She was arrested three days later on charges of attempting suicide - a crime in India - and prison officials have fed her through a nasal tube.

On Wednesday evening, Sharmila, looking frail and holding back tears, walked out of prison after a court order threw out the charges against her.