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Prensa Latina, Havana<br>
<a href="http://www.plenglish.com/" eudora="autourl">
http://www.plenglish.com<br><br>
<br>
</a>Lives of Guantanamo Hunger Strikers Still in Danger<br><br>
Washington, Oct 3 (PL)--The lives of hunger-striking prisoners<br>
continue in danger for the third consecutive week at the US prison
at<br>
Guantanamo Naval Base, according to inmates at the facility.<br><br>
The strike, involving more than 200 inmates protesting their<br>
judicial limbo and their treatment by US soldiers, entered its ninth<br>
week on Monday.<br><br>
Consistent with reports released by Newsday magazine, the<br>
"thinned-down prisoners are coughing up blood or falling unconscious
on<br>
the floor," as the facility's military hospital " is inundated
with<br>
hunger strikers, who are being force-fed through nasal
catheters."<br><br>
"We are in the throes of slow death here," prisoner of British
origin<br>
Omar Deghayes denounced as he recalled that most of these people,
who<br>
were detained in the wake of the US invasion of Afghanistan in 2001,<br>
have yet to be charged with any crime.<br><br>
"I don't understand what the US is doing," Deghayes wrote in
one of<br>
the reports about the strike, which he secretly handed over to his<br>
London-based lawyer.<br><br>
In his hand-written testimonies, the prisoner recalls that "this
is<br>
the fourth year in prison although no charges have been filed, and
we<br>
lack medicine, products or conditions to wash, and are without
sun."<br>
Deghayes described how he was punched in the eye by a soldier, and
said<br>
that many prisoners "are falling down and showing symptoms of
diseases."<br><br>
If authorities here fail to do something quickly to improve<br>
conditions, "the number of prisoners on hunger strike will get out
of<br>
hand," he predicted.<br><br>
The Pentagon claims there were 131 inmates involved in the protest
by<br>
mid-September, with only 20 having to be force-fed, but it has not<br>
permitted families, independent doctors or lawyers to visit or
telephone<br>
the detainees, arguing it is a national security issue.<br><br>
The Doctors for Human Rights organization insists on making an<br>
independent diagnosis of the effects of the hunger strike, because
the<br>
US Medical Association bans feeding striking inmates by force.<br><br>
More than 500 people, tagged as enemy combatants -a term used by<br>
Washington to hold them without legal assistance-, are under US
custody<br>
at the Guantanamo facility, a territory illegally occupied by the US<br>
against the will of the Island's authorities and people. <br>
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<font size=3 color="#FF0000">The Freedom Archives<br>
522 Valencia Street<br>
San Francisco, CA 94110<br>
(415) 863-9977<br>
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