Gitmo hunger strikers to die in near future: Lawyers
Iran Press TV
Fri Apr 12, 2013 1:6PM GMT
Lawyers representing hunger-striking prisoners at the United States' infamous Guantanamo Bay prison in Cuba say some of the hunger strikers will lose their lives in the ongoing protest.
The lawyers said they were concerned about the critical health condition of the prisoners, who began the hunger strike on February 6.
They also said the majority of the 166 detainees held at the military base stopped eating and many lost dangerous amounts of weight and were now being forced-fed through the nose.
According to a lawyer, who visited the prison last week, "Death can occur. That is an objective medical fact…There are people in critical condition. Death is a distinct possibility."
Rights activists say several prisoners have lost between nine to 22 kilograms.
On Thursday, rights activists staged wide-scale protests in more than 26 cities and 19 states across the United States to mark the "Day of Action to Close Guantanamo and End Indefinite Detention."
On the same day, President of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) Peter Maurer urged US President Barack Obama to resolve the ongoing legal limbo of prisoners held at the US prison.
Maurer has held talks with Obama and other top US officials in Washington this week, while Red Cross representatives monitored and reported the crisis involving dozens of detainees in the notorious prison.
"There is a discrepancy between the position of the United States and the ICRC," said Maurer, adding that Red Cross doctors agreed with international medical groups who have denounced the act of force-feeding prisoners.
The hunger strike began after the Gitmo staff reportedly seized personal belongings of the prisoners, including letters, photographs and copies of the Holy Qur'an in a sacrilegious manner during searches of their cells. The hunger strikers also stopped eating to protest their indefinite detention without charges.
MAM/JR
|
NEWSLETTER
|
| Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list |
|
|
|
