From: AlterNet
The hunger strike at Guantanamo Bay continues to grow. The U.S.
recently forced many prisoners into solitary confinement. The military
now admits that 100 prisoners at the camp are refusing to eat. But
lawyers for Guantanamo detainees say that more than 130 detainees are on
hunger strike.
Guantanamo Prison Flight
Photo Credit: Publik15/Flickr
Photo Credit: Publik15/Flickr
While the claims and counter-claims bounce back and forth,
the situation continues to deteriorate. Here’s 6 facts you should know
about Guantanamo Bay and the ongoing act of protest most of the
prisoners are participating in.
1. U.S. Medical Reinforcements Have Arrived to Force-Feed Prisoners
One of the latest news items is that “medical
reinforcements” from the U.S. Navy have arrived at Guantanamo Bay to
cope with the growing hunger strike. The Naval nurses and specialists
are there to help facilitate the process of force-feeding the detainees.
“We will not allow a detainee to starve themselves to
death, and we will continue to treat each person humanely,” Guantanamo
prison spokesman Samuel House told the New York Times. But the practice of force-feeding has been criticized by human rights groups.
When detainees are force-fed, they are shackled to a
“restraint chair.” Then, U.S. military officials force a tube into their
nose to pump nutrients into their body. The American Medical
Association has come out strongly against the practice. “Every competent
patient has the right to refuse medical intervention, including
life-sustaining interventions,” AMA President Jeremy Lazarus wrote in a
letter to Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel, the Miami Herald reports.
In a harrowing New York Times Op-Ed,
Guantanamo prisoner Samir Naji al Hasan Moqbel described the process of
force-feeding. “I will never forget the first time they passed the
feeding tube up my nose. I can’t describe how painful it is to be
force-fed this way. As it was thrust in, it made me feel like throwing
up,” he wrote. “I wanted to vomit, but I couldn’t. There was agony in my
chest, throat and stomach. I had never experienced such pain before. I
would not wish this cruel punishment upon anyone.”
2. Hunger Strike Sparked By Raids, Fueled By Indefinite Detention
Detainees began the hunger strike in early February after
they said personnel at the camp raided cells, confiscated personal items
and treated the Qu’ran disrespectfully. The military disputes this
narrative. But what is clear is that, as the New York Times reported,
the strike is being driven by “a growing sense among many prisoners,
some of whom have been held without trial for more than 11 years, that
they will never go home.”
“The men are not starving themselves so they can become
martyrs...They’re doing this because they’re desperate. They’re
desperate to be free from Guantanamo. They don’t see any alternative to
leaving in a coffin. That’s the bottom line,” Wells Dixon, an attorney
for five Guantamano detainees, told AlterNet earlier this month.
3. 86 Detainees Have Been Cleared for Release--But They’re Still There
There are currently 166 detainees at Guantanamo. And over
half of them--86--have been cleared for release out of the hellish
prison camp. But they’re still there, a fact that is helping to drive
the hunger strike.
The U.S. government has effectively put release efforts on
hold. The last time a prisoner left Guantanamo was September 2012. Part
of the problem is that 56 of the cleared men are from Yemen, a strong
U.S. ally that also has a problem with Al Qaeda in the Arabian
Peninsula, a group that has plotted attacks against the U.S. After a
2009 terrorist plot that purportedly originated in Yemen was halted, the
Obama administration decided to halt repatriation of detainees to
Yemen.
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