Photo: Wikipedia: U.S. Guantanamo Detention Center
Worldwide protests are taking place this weekend. Yesterday, May 18, marked the 100th day of the Guantanamo hunger strike. The U.S. Guantanamo prison was established by the Bush administration in 2002. Of the 166 detainees, over 100 are refusing to eat as a form of protest. Some simply want to die after years of detention, with no trial, and no end in sight.
RT reports, the weakened state of the inmates has led to the authorities force-feeding them through nasal tubes – a practice which was condemned by the U.N.’s human rights office and has been declared a form of torture.
One Guantanamo Bay prisoner, Samir Naji al Hasan Moqbel, who has been detained since 2002, submitted a story to the New York Times, via his attorney and an Arabic translator. Moqbel who is on hunger strike, spoke about the forced 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. 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."
Another detainee said as soon as the tube hits his throat, tears come streaming down from the pain.
Here's a video on the subject from Al Jazeera:
Friday, activists were at the White House, dressed in orange jumpsuits and black hoods (uniforms the detainees have worn). Colonel Morris Davis, a former military prosecutor at Guantanamo, handed over a petition to the White House containing 370,000 signatures demanding Immediate action.
Six prisoners have committed suicide since the camp opened.
'Hactivist group Anonymous, known to many as truth-seeking heroes, set the dates of May 17 - 19 for a massive ground and online Guantanamo protest campaign around the world. It seems they are following through.
Anonymous states: “Guantanamo Bay must be closed at once, and the prisoners should be either returned to their home countries or given a fair trial in a federal court. Guantanamo Bay is an ongoing war crime.”
What you can do:
Call the White House: 202-456-1111, 202-456-1414
Call the U.S. Southern Command: 305-437-1213
Call the Department of Defense: 703-571-3343
Call your senators & representatives:Congress Lookup
Sign the petition started by Colonel Morris Davis:
Close GTMO Petition
Twitter Bomb And More Information:
ACLU National ✔ @ACLU
...Day 100 of the #Gitmo hunger strike. On this day of action, tell Pres. #Obama to #CloseGitmo: https://www.aclu.org/... … #GTMO17
The prison camp situated at the US naval base in Cuba costs Americans over $900,000 annually, per inmate, which adds up to $150 million per year.
I have great respect for President Obama and can't help but believe there is a political gridlock taking place. Nonetheless, we urge the president to us all of his powers that be, to take care of this situation. The world is watching. What is happening to some detainees is inhumane and considered torture. By prolonging action, we are creating more America-hating extremists and terrorists, and thus we may be creating a war.