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Michelle Shephard / AFP - Getty Images
A pre-dawn view of the U.S. detention center Camp Delta in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, on Oct. 18, 2012.
Lawyers for terror suspects held at the U.S. detention facility at Guantanamo, Cuba, said Tuesday that detainees are engaged in widespread protests of conditions at the prison, including a hunger strike that may imperil their lives.
Calling the situation “alarming,” the lawyers said in a statement that some of their clients are “coughing up blood” and “losing consciousness.” A letter making similar assertions was sent earlier this week to Navy Rear Adm. John W. Smith, the commander of the Joint Task Force at Guantanamo and signed by a dozen lawyers who represent most of the detainees at Guantanamo.
A spokesman for U.S. military at Guantanamo disputed the lawyers’ claims of a widespread hunger strike, saying they and their clients were merely trying to get attention and keep Guantanamo “in the news. ”
The spokesman, Navy Capt. Robert Durand, said that a half-dozen detainees are currently on a hunger strike -- five of whom are being force fed through tubes -- and that no lives were in danger. Durand added that the figure was consistent with the average number of hunger strikers at Guantanamo over the past several years. He also acknowledged that “some detainees” have been disciplined and moved out of Camp 6 -- the most permissive of the camps at Guantanamo, with communal living arrangements -- but he declined to say how many or give the reasons for the action.
The conflicting claims underscored the difficulty of obtaining information about conditions at the facility, which President Barack Obama vowed to shut down on his first day in office after his 2008 election but which still remains open as a result of congressional opposition to its closure. There are 166 detainees remaining at the camp, but military rules forbid them from communicating in any way with members of the news media and visits to the camp by outsiders are tightly regulated. Even their communications with their lawyers must be cleared by military censors.
One of those lawyers, David Remes, told NBC News in a telephone interview from Guantanamo Monday night that he saw one of his clients -- Hussain Almerfedi, a Yemeni -- earlier that day and that he had lost “substantial weight” and was “very sick.” Under Guantanamo rules, Remes said he could not share anything that his client told him until the censor cleared the communication. But he said that he offered Almerfedi some trail mix during their meeting and he declined to take it -- a sign, Remes said, that his client was participating in the hunger strike.
“The men are at their wit’s end,” he said. “This is their eleventh year of being there and they have no prospect for release.” He also said that since taking over last year as commander, Adm. Smith had “turned the clock back” to 2002 and 2003, imposing harsher restrictions on the detainees and more-rigorous searches in which personal items were being seized. The searches are being carried out by guards -- some of whom are returning soldiers from Afghanistan and Iraq -- who he asserted appear to be extracting vengeance for what they encountered overseas, he said.
One flashpoint appears to have been a Feb. 6 search at Camp 6 in which, according to the lawyers, camp authorities seized blankets, sheets, towels, sleeping mats, razors and other items from the detainees, including family photos and religious CDs from the detainees. In their letter to Smith, the lawyers alleged that Arabic interpreters at the camp inspected Qurans “in ways that constitute desecration.”
Durand, the Guantanamo spokesman, disputed that any harsher restrictions had been imposed by the new commander and said the search last month was in keeping with past practice. He said that search, and earlier ones, have turned up “a Wal-Mart worth of stuff,” including improvised weapons, illegal electronics and other illicit contraband. But he said that handling of the Qurans was tightly regulated and that no guards are even permitted to touch the Islamic Holy Books during the searches.
Durand also acknowledged that some of the dispute between camp authorities and the detainees’ lawyers may be about defining terms. Guantanamo officials define a hunger strike as refusing to eat nine meals in a row. But, he said, some of the detainees may be hoarding food in their cells even when they claim to be on a hunger strike.
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Leave a Comment:
Fuk em every last one of them!
If these azzholes want to starve themselves to death let them. Most of those still held at Guantanamo are there because no country will take them, even their supposed home country. Even the ones that are eligible to be released can not be because they are viewed as terrorists and no country will take them. Is it the US government's fault that even their own countries do not want them back?!?! As for their complaints, no one is interested in hearing them. Most of them have it far better in prison at Guantanamo then they had it in their own countries. This is more about the lawyers trying to keep this in the news than anything else.
Is sequestration , it is time those bastards live like the regular inmates.
In sequestration how can we afford doctors to install feeding tube?
Let them starve
Bullets are cheap. They should have drilled them instead of capturing them. How much money has been wasted to keep the pieces of trash alive. Prisoners are worthless in this war. Walk down the prison wing and drop them one at a time, problem solved. Need someone to pull the trigger, call me, I'm sure that my friends who have been killed over there would appreciate it.
Maybe this story needs to be written in Arabic so all terrorist know what they are in for if they continue in destructive ways. By the way I have seen on YouTube how terrorist treat prisoners and it's not at all like how we treat them.
Boooo hoooo.....who cares!
The Australian, David Hicks was held in Gitmo, he was not a terrorist, how many others are there who are innocent?, probably 80%!!, You F***ing yanks just don't want foreigners on your blood drenched, polluted soils, go and shoot yourselves with your semi automatics and do the rest of the world a favour.
God save Bradley Manning for seeing the truth let loose, it's about time.
Nice, Stephen. Should have let the Japs have you.
Yea, and @!$%# you too Stephen Sargent.
David Hicks is a child molester.
No wonder you want to suck his dick.
Time to hold court on these "TERRORISTS' quick, and then send them to prison for LIFE WITHOUT PAROLE.
Maybe I'm in need of therapy, because I feel no compassion for these guys. None.
IDO finally made a comment that didn't blame or mention Obama. Wow.
Ido- I disagree with you on the "Life Without Parole" Hell we done spent tooooooo much money on them already!!!!!!!!!!!!!
"Deplorable" conditions. Awwwwww. What did the guard officers do, hide the Koran on them? Make them watch porn movies? Take their stuffed animals away? Are they starving??? Serve them up some scallops wrapped in bacon. That'll shut the s*kanks up.
Mr. Sargent,
The people detained at 'Gitmo' belong to the same group (in one way or another) that captured and killed French S.O.F. in North Africa whom were attempting to free innocent, non-combatant, peace-promoting Europeans captured by Al Queida sects. The U.S. is now providing assistance via drone teams to French forces in Africa to aide in thwarting an Al Queida invasion of Democratic Mali. I'm assuming you are of French decent based upon your spelling of "favour" and surname. Let's see how France handles the folks that murdered their brethren. Maybe we'll see the long-awaited return of the guillotine!
Dear jfrost1083,
When the English developed their language, most of the spelling was derived from old French, via Latin. You Americans decided to develop your own spelling of many English words, mostly to shorten them to make it easier for you. My point was that if David Hicks was innocent, as he was, how many more 'innocents' are locked up on that Cuban Island also!!??. I am well aware of history Mr Frost, the USA is currently in a worse situation than it ever was in Vietnam. Bring the guillotine out, off with their heads..........if they are guilty!. By the way, I live in Australia, English father, French mother, I studied in England and Germany, also Boston USA, a classical music student, very interested in political science, is that enough for you?.
Screw' em, they all are scum if they are there. Hopefully they suceed in starvation and im sure 95% of Americans feel the same. And if you are Aussie or French and are on an AMERICAN NEWS WEBSITE just to hate get a life. You both would be speaking languages other than your native tongue if it wasnt for US!
Gitmo is probably cleaner with more modern facilities than where these terrorist came from...
Give me a break! Their terrorist, murderers... Gitmo is not a five star hotel...
Why not bring them before a firing squad?
Mr. Sargent,
No offense meant. Just disagree with the 80% number you threw out there. I am aware that there may be some innocents misplaced into prison systems all over the world. The 80% estimate you'd given insinuates a level of ineptitude undeservedly applied to not only U.S. armed services but it's U.N. brothers-in-arms. I will defend the integrity of our servicemen and women always. As should you. I am aware that comments made about writing this article in Arabic are made in ignorance and can infuriate some. I also believe that any violent gang-member in the U.S. convicted of violent acts (rape, murder, agg. assault, etc..) should be sentenced in a similar fashion and devoid of outside contact that allows them to continue their criminal activity under a cloak of unearned liberties robbed from hard-working Americans like myself. The common misconception is that we're all fat and uneducated, which sadly has become the case for far too many of us however, it is unfair to judge us all in that light. Sorry if my patriotism offends you.
Yes it s pretty bad down there. I know this because... well, lets just say, I know. And the reason for this is command. Command said back off and thats what the Navy did.
By the way, when I say "command"? I'm refering to our Commander and Chief.
jfrost1083,
You don't have to apologize for your patriotism for our country, Especially to that guy! According to that POS everybody in prison is innocent. And I bet he is a muslim!!
I thought Obama was going to close that place????
AKRandy: Your conserative congress put a stop to closing it. If you listen to them, it was all President Obamas doing. Look it up and you will find out the real TRUTH!!!!
Hey, AK:
Read comprehension not your forte, eh?
Keep up the fight for the hearts and minds of whatever Americans remain acceptable to you!
It is CLOSED no one gets out alive
Can't blame congress he had a Democrip congress his first two years so whats the problem?
Typical liberal reporting yawn nothing new Blame Congress, Bush Wha Wha
I think there are "several things" Obama was supposed to do!
Remember Obama had all three branches of government, conservatives were powerless but get all the blame
But Holder can say we can Drone kill American citizens on US soil, and that doesn't trump "conditions" at Gitmo...hey gustifer..
AKRandy...."I thought Obama was going to close that place????"
Just one of MANY BROKEN CAMPAIGN PROMISES.
He was for it before he was aginst it.......
His SECRET campaign promise this time to his Progressives friends is to splinter the Republican party, irregardless of what he does to our country and economy. Remember, he "promised" Peloski she would get the gavel back in the House.
There is a huge difference between what a guy running for an office will say he (she) will do if elected and what the do when they are elected and discover the realities of their position. Wait as see all the BS we will be hearing from both sides in 2016, when both sides will be running new candidates.
"old fat guy" now try to follow along here and maybe, just maybe you MIGHT learn something. President Obama NEVER had "all three branches of government". AND I hate to rain on your conservative loving parade, but conservatives kept enormous power and were far from "powerless".
The three branches of government are Executive (The President) Legislative (Congress) and Judicial (The Supreme Court).
Obviously President Obama has NEVER controlled the Supreme Court. Especially considering the fact the current court has been EXTREMELY conservative ever since Scalia, Thomas and Roberts were nominated and joined the court.
Now let's look at the Legislative Branch. From September 24, 2009 to February 4, 2010, the President
had a filibuster-proof majority for 72 DAYS. That is not an incorrect number and is broken down as follows.
However, that so called majority was highly limited due to the presence of the "Blue Dog Democrats" who were actually Republicans in every way with the exception of the (D) next to their names on the list of Senators.
And in the House, the Democrats never had enough of a majority to pass ANY legilsation without the cooperation of Republicans, which of course was, and continues to be, literally non-existent.
And last, but far from least, I invite you to read up on the record number of filibusters and secret holds that the Republicans have employed from 2006 until now. So, would you like to try again?
He was but the congress voted not to close it.
Why are the conservatives here boo-hooing about closing Guant? Are they feeling sorry for the Al Qaedies?
Obama "had all three branches of government"? On what planet do you live?
Amused Muse, I agree with you totally. there seems to be a lot of morons feeling sorry for these terrorists.
They blame Obama for failing to achieve something even when republicans filibibustering it is the reason. They don't realise how idiotic they appear when even main stream republicans tune out their nonsense.
As another article today notes 3 major pieces of legislation has been passed this congress because a small number of republicans backed them. This irritated Boehnor because some republicans crossed the isle. Most Americans have enough sense to know having a majority doesn't mean you get 100% of the vote to block a filibuster. Only the far right thinks having a democratic president initiate an action and have 95% of democrats supporting it but it's Obama's fault it wasn't done. Don't you think the 100% of the republicans voting to block it might have something to do with it?
Sandra- maybe those morons what feel sorry for terrorist's is because they themselves are terrorists'.
AKRandy- if bumer did that, his homeys would be without FREE living!!!!!!!!!!!
Congress doesn't dictate the operation of Gitmo. If the President wanted it closed it would be.
But once Mr Obama made such a naive promise and all those suckers who voted for him fell for his ignorance? Mr Obama was educated and has had to succeed that closing Gitmo is an unrealistic and unwise thing to do. So the President has decided to break his ridiculous campaign promise and keep it open.
Piss on them, they should be happy they are still alive!!!!!!!!!!!!
Oh no, they hate life as much as we love it! /sarcasm
If they want their 72 virgins so much, why not just starve themselves and be done with it? Why not organize a break-out and get shot and become martyrs? Tunnel out and get shot and go to heaven already? Our "soft" POWs tried those things, not this pusillanimous whining.
Why doesn't bin Laden's successor, Al Zawahiri, rescue them? We have not heard from him lately. These asses portrayed themselves as the superheroes of the Mideast.
I think we could start by sending them 1 virgin, Nappy, then tell them their is 71 more just like her waiting for them.
@stopfreeloaders
What makes you think that virgin is a her? Those Muslims love men also, so they could be like the Catholic Priests and use males for their sexual pleasure, right?
sallyann, you aren't playing nice.
a "hunger strike" is self-imposed..... deal with it.....
If they want to go home... load the plane & let them out at about 10,000 ft
Frank: *Spanish*! Do you trust that we have provided you with enough rope so that your cinderblock will fall safely to the ground?
Spanish: Y-Yes, sir.
Frank: Blue, do you trust that I do not want to see you die here tonight?
Blue: Yes, sir.
Frank: Blue, you're my boy!
Blue: Thank you, sir.
grendels, what?
11 years. 11 years of hunger strikes which have gained them nada. Maybe 11 more and they will figure out its not working.
force feed them from the anis up.
if they were really on a hunger strike they would not have lived this long, I think that they hide food somewhere and pig out when no one is looking.
They already using that method on their own...
Obama didn't understand the issue when he made the campaign promise and thought he could deliver on Day One.
Rookie error.
He didn't bother to look into what would have been required to close it, but knowing everything in the world about everything, he didn't ask.
BTW – he had a DEMOCRATIC Congress for those first two years.
Do you people EVER get even a little weary of just cutting and pasting garbage?
Mary Davis-355251
with all due respect but you are as full of crap as a christmas turkey.
Obama was pressed for an explanation after the first election why he never follow through on One of his election promises to which he responded quote:
" Oh that was just campaign rhetoric.. "
A campaign promise is basically promising your best effort. Only a fool would think you could pass everything you want in a 2 party system. Do you really think Romney would have done all he campaigned on? Bush promised to cut our 5.7 trillion debt in half his first term, How'd he do? The difference is the far right tries to hold Obama to a higher standard then they did Bush or would have Romney. Most Americans don't buy it.
let'em out and let the Cubans play with them...hahaha
Waa! Waa, waa, waa! WAAA!!!
They're probably living in better conditions now than they were in Afghanistan! Didn't we just spend a billion or so dollars building them tennis courts, a pool and providing them with cable TV? I don't even have cable TV!
I say ship them all to Antarctica, drop them off at the South Pole with a pork sandwich and a bottle of ice water and tell them they can make their way from there to any country they wish.
Nice continued waste of our tax monies...
America's own Gulag. No trials. No rights. They will all stay in there until they die. The innocent and the guilty...
What the Hell happened to my Country?
Your country was attacked by these fools, thats what happened.
It decided to play by the same rules of the people you are defending. Suck it up.
asygifvasi, 9/11 happened.
Asygifvasi: Based on your statement, I question which country you're calling "your country". Are you really an American?
We we attacked on our soil...that's what happened. We woke up..we lost our innocence..and we were forced to play hard ball with the rest of the world.
Actually, we tried to send something like 90% of these guys back to their birth countries. Their governments told us they wouldn't allow them to return to their home country. Then we asked other countries if they would take them and they all said no. Do you have room in your home for them? Maybe they could share a room with your children. They're probably just misunderstood.
asygifvasi, where you from ?
Yes asygifvasi, America was attacked by a bunch of guys from Saudi Arabia so it invaded Iraq and Afghanistan after refusing the Taliban's offer to deport Bin Laden to a neutral country to be judged, then put everyone that someone was willing to denounce for a bunch of dollars into a prison to be forgotten and demonized by peoples on some internet forum.
Really, learn your history, standard procedure and stuff.
What are you ? unpatriotic ?
shoot'em all , close the camp and come home.
Oh yeah---real torture: three squares, a roof over their head, time to meet with their lawyers, get 8 hours of sleep, pray and watch cable TV. All this for trying to kill American servicemen. Pathetic.
Don't forget the rec yard's, free medical, dental ,mental services and the library.
Baylor14---how could I forget those additional "torture" treatments! Thanks for reminding me!
At least none of these crybabies got beheaded and they should be thankful for that
Boo hoo, they are treating us bad........... cry me a river. All you terrorists should be euthanized. You took Americans rights to live away why should you have any rights?
They were shouting "America has been destroyed!" on 9-11 and after. I guess they have changed their minds about that. It's difficult to live without a Great Satan gazing at them from their mirrors (if they had not banned all mirrors) instead of their own reflections.
Any lawyer representing these scumbag terrorists at Guantanamo Bay should be forced to live with their clients in these allegedly squalid conditions until said client is either acquitted of any terrorist activities or they're found guilty and are summarily executed. Then they can leave.
Obama is more of a piece of crap than Bush.
“The men are at their wit’s end,” he said. “This is their eleventh year of being there and they have no prospect for release.
That's what happens when you choose to kill innocents and threaten the most powerful nation in the world. They should have all been shot.
Yeah, maybe they would have preferred it in the Twin Towers, or being taken prisoner by the Northern Alliance.
Neither did the innocent souls the murdered.
Between the prisoners and the attorneys, which ones are our enemies?
These US lawyers ought to be ashamed!
Jarhead, I am with you. Boo Hoo I like the Antarctica idea also. Beats what our service men and women had.
No, the poor penguins! These vermin would probably eat them.
I guess we have more to fear from a lawyer...that is just the larval stage of a politician.
From maggots to full grown horse sh!t eating flies. Kinda like the paparazzi and ambulance chasers.
It is time to treat the Gitmo prisoners like they treated our POWs, CHOP THEIR HEADS OFF!
Screw these Islamofascist garbage and their slime bag lawyers.
This is pure bull manure. Lets load every one of those poor Muslim scum on a old troop ship, set sail for Saudi Arabia, and midway there, one of our subs could use the practice to shoot a live torpedo or two. If the ship blows up and sinks, we blame the Muslims for trying to take over the ship.
Only thing is, it is steered by remote control, like the drones. Those fish in the ocean are hungry also, plus they can be with bin Laden, on the bottom of the ocean, looking like fish poop. Fitting end to a bunch of terrorists. And we don't need to polute Antarctica with them, but that would be my second vote. From hot desert to ice cold freaking snow bound place. And no cold weather gear for them either.
They get Arab type food. No bacon, etc. They get to practice their religion. Now as long as we are not cutting the heads off the aszholes; so what. They have the freedom to not eat. More freedom then they had back where they came from.
Let me see, these are terrorist that attack America. They aren't American citizens and don't have any rights. Screw them and the horse they rode in on. What ever the conditions are, they are to good for these people.
I think it was cammel they rode in on
Hey...how is the soccer field though?? Or, should I say half soccer field that cost American
taxpayers yet another...$750,000. And, if you believe this field only cost $750,000, I will tell you that our president is going to cut our deficit in half, and unemployment will be under 5.5% a year ago.
sympathy is under "S" in the dictionary if you want some look it up.