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May 14, 2013

Document Reveals New Protocol for Force-Feeding Guantánamo Hunger Strikers 
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Al Jazeera has published a U.S. military document outlining updated
procedures for force-feeding prisoners currently on hunger strike at
Guantánamo. The document reveals hunger strikers are forced to wear a
mask over their mouths as they sit shackled in a chair for as long as
two hours while a feeding tube is inserted through their nostrils.
Afterwards, prisoners are placed in a "dry cell" without running water
and observed for at least 45 minutes to ensure they do not vomit. If
they do vomit, they are returned to the chair. More than 100 prisoners
are participating in a hunger strike that began in February. At least 29
are being force-fed. On Monday, a coalition of groups including the
American Civil Liberties Union and the Center for Constitutional Rights
wrote a letter to Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel calling for an end to
force-feeding at Guantánamo, saying it constitutes "cruel, inhuman or
degrading treatment" and violates the Geneva Conventions.

 

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