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Home Front: WoT
Hunger strikers pledge to die in Guantánamo
2005-09-09
My comments in salmon, Jackel in yellow -- he posted a duplicate; great comments though!
More than 200 detainees in Guantánamo Bay are in their fifth week of a hunger strike, the Guardian has been told.
Send the food to Biloxi.
Statements from prisoners in the camp which were declassified by the US government on Wednesday reveal that the men are starving themselves in protest at the conditions in the camp and at their alleged maltreatment - including desecration of the Qur'an - by American guards.

The statements, written on August 11, have just been given to the British human rights lawyer Clive Stafford Smith. They show that prisoners are determined to starve them selves to death. In one, Binyam Mohammed, a former London schoolboy, said: "I do not plan to stop until I either die or we are respected.
I'll go with option "A."
Wonder if he's ever seen a 36-French silastic nasgoastric feeding tube?
"People will definitely die. Bobby Sands petitioned the British government to stop the illegitimate internment of Irishmen without trial. He had the courage of his convictions and he starved himself to death. Nobody should believe for one moment that my brothers here have less courage."
I'm cheering you on.
Yesterday, Mr Stafford Smith, who represents 40 detainees at Guantánamo Bay, eight of whom are British residents, said many men had been starving themselves for more than four weeks and the situation was becoming desperate.
Unlike that of the people trapped on top of the World Trade Center...
He said: "I am worried about the lives of my guys because they are a pretty obstinate lot and they are going to go through with this and I think they are going to end up killing themselves. The American military doesn't want anyone to know about this."

He pointed to an American army claim that only 76 prisoners at the base were refusing food, saying that they were attempting to play down what could be a political scandal if a prisoner were to die.
Why would it be a political scandal? If they don't want to eat, no problem. We put the food on a tray in front of them.
The hunger strike is the second since late June. The first ended after the authorities made a number of promises, including better access to books, and bottled drinking water. The men claim that they were tricked into eating again.

In his statement, Mr Mohammed described how during the first strike men were placed on intravenous drips after refusing food for 20 days. He said: "The administration promised that if we gave them 10 days, they would bring the prison into compliance with the Geneva conventions. They said this had been approved by Donald Rumsfeld himself in Washington DC. As a result of these promises, we agreed to end the strike on July 28.
OK. We'll go in compliance with the convention, sure. Lessee, [flip][flip], ah! Unlawful combatants. Sez here we can give you a summary court and execute you. Well, that's what you wanted, so...
Even if they promised that, these mooks aren't covered by the GC.
"It is now August 11. They have betrayed our trust (again). Hisham from Tunisia was savagely beaten in his interrogation and they publicly desecrated the Qur'an (again). Turns over cue card and reads from other side Saad from Kuwait was ERF'd [visited by the Extreme Reaction Force] for refusing to go (again) to interrogation because the female interrogator had sexually humiliated him (again) for 5 hours _ Therefore, the strike must begin again."
Five hours of sexual humiliation? That would run into some serious money in Nevada.
We had a lap-dancing post recently, as I recall, with talk of serious coinage ...
In another declassified statement, Omar Deghayes, from Brighton, said: "In July, some people took no water for many days. I was part of the strike and I am again this time. Some people were taken to hospital, and put on drip feeds, but they pulled the needles out, as they preferred to die. There were two doctors. One wanted to force feed the men, but they got legal advice saying that they could not if the men refused.

"In the end the military agreed to negotiate. We came off the strike [on July 28 2005], but we gave them two weeks, and if the changes were not implemented we would go back on strike."
Next time, no negotiations.
Yesterday, Mr Deghayes's brother, Abubaker, pleaded with the British government to intervene on his brother's behalf. "I'm really worried. Something really needs to be done. We can't just allow people to be oppressed and tortured," he said.
Well, we can, as long as they are infidels or women.
Another prisoner, Jamal Kiyemba, from Battersea, south London, said in an account of the July hunger strike: "Many of the prisoners collapsed, as they would not drink water. More than 30 were hospitalised. I am in Camp IV and we joined in." He added: "Eventually, because people were near death, the military caved and let us set up a prisoner welfare council of six prisoners."

Jamil el Banna, another British resident, described how the guards were again searching the Qur'an by hand, which they had agreed to stop.
"Yeah, when we defile a Qur'an it's ... different ... somehow."
Last night a Pentagon spokesman denied that there were more than 200 hunger strikers: "There are 76 detainees doing a voluntary fast at present. There are nine detainees in hospital as a result of their hunger strike.
But do you believe the Pentagon or a lawyer for terrorists?
"They are listed as being in a stable condition and they are recieving nutrition." Asked if they were being force fed, he said: "They are being held in the same standards as US prison standards... they don't allow people to kill themselves via starvation."
Posted by:Steve White

#30  #16 RC, I busted a (pig) gut with this one. Touche
Posted by: Jan   2005-09-09 23:35  

#29  the men are starving themselves in protest at the conditions in the camp and at their alleged maltreatment

That's not really why they went on a hunger strike. They missed being tortured straddled by the female interrogators. They discovered that they actually liked it. But they can't get anymore "action" since these tactics were stopped due to the public outcry. And wanking in view of the guards has lost its thrill. Soooo....hunger strike! The Guardian put its own spin on this of course.
Posted by: Rafael   2005-09-09 22:34  

#28  I guess it's time for a little shark-trolling in the waters south of Cuba.

These people are nothing. They count for nothing. They and their idiot-stick lawyer(s) should be bound together with half-inch steel cable and forced to swim to Venezuela. We as a nation have got to learn that there is such a thing as being too nice, especially to scum like islamofascist fruitcakes. Shackle them to the under-wing drop-racks of a few B-52's, let the birds fly at altitude until the jihadis are frozen solid, and drop them in the center of the Sargasso Sea.
Posted by: Old Patriot   2005-09-09 20:40  

#27  Connie the Short Bus Lady's Unkle Melvin has 80 behives so I've got the honey. Anybody need some?
Posted by: Deacon Blues   2005-09-09 18:10  

#26  Well, post the recipe my good man. I've got an opened roll of filo dough that needs to be used this weekend.
Posted by: ed   2005-09-09 17:47  

#25  What in science, is called "an elegant solution".
(1) they die
(2) we save tax money on food.
Posted by: Uniger Slolurong7488   2005-09-09 17:17  

#24  I've got a terrific recipe for baklava if anyone wants it. Really.
Posted by: ex-lib   2005-09-09 16:09  

#23  We know you're not a troll Oz.

"I'll show you some respect, step a little bit closer so i can spit on that overgrown flea infested beard of yours, you dirty maggot."

You forgot, "after I drench your sorry ass in pig guts."

Well, ya' know they'd LOVE to do worse to us.

BTW--the "respect" these guys want is NOT going to come no matter what we do (outside therapy and cultural revolution), since the issue is tied to personal sexual maladjustment problems. They'll always feel disrespected at the deepest level. No amount of booming is gonna do it either. I feel kind of sorry for 'em. Just a teensie bit -- but it's mostly on an abstract, academic level.

Also, I doubt any of them have the fortitude to starve themselves to death, UNLESS they've rerouted their need for male respect (from other males) into the "see me -- I'm so cool, and strong and worthy, blah, blah, blah -- admire me and my "manhood" because I'm going to starve" to which the others go "Ahhhhh . . . good job . . . allah is great, blah, blah, blah." Other than that, I don't see it happening.

Get a lamb roasting on a spit, and serve it up with some fresh-baked flatbread, some bakalave and fruit, and they'll break their "commitment" to jihad in 10 seconds.

Nice comments, everyone. You totally made my day.
Posted by: ex-lib   2005-09-09 16:07  

#22  if my post seems a little over the top, im sorry... im drunk... not that thats anny excuse, but when i read that that loose-limb muslim wanted to be respected, that made my blood boil... I'm no troll, i'm trying to be civilized, and that's part of the reason i don't post many comments, is because my views stem from my anger, and i usually post nasty insults to my number #1 enemy....... the Muslims
Posted by: Oztralian [AKA] God Save The World   2005-09-09 12:42  

#21  So, they won't stop their hunger strike untill they are either respected or dead?

How can anyone respect individuals who give praise and credit to people who carry out the mass murder of innocent civilians world wide?
I'll show you some respect, step a little bit closer so i can spit on that overgrown flea infested beard of yours, you dirty maggot.
Posted by: Oztralian [AKA] God Save The World   2005-09-09 12:32  

#20  The morons on in our detention centres pull the same stunt, quite regularly, and they always win.
Posted by: Oztralian [AKA] God Save The World   2005-09-09 12:28  

#19  Why the hell should the American guards have to give in to these terrorist demands?

My life will march foward regardless if these vile creatures live or not.
Posted by: Oztralian [AKA] God Save The World   2005-09-09 12:27  

#18  Helluva waste of Jihadi Brand Shark Food, if you ask me...
Posted by: tu3031   2005-09-09 12:17  

#17  Hunger strikers pledge to die in Guantánamo

Is there any way this can legally be helped along, as in speeded up?
Posted by: Bomb-a-rama   2005-09-09 11:50  

#16  Might I suggest off the shelf water hose?

Maybe someone can make a feeding tube based on pig intestine.
Posted by: Robert Crawford   2005-09-09 11:46  

#15  I say tube 'em. No point in letting terrorists get all peaceful and euphoric.
Posted by: BH   2005-09-09 10:46  

#14  Starve? We should be so lucky.
Posted by: MunkarKat   2005-09-09 09:34  

#13  Inserting a NG tube is rather slow and most uncomfortable. Might I suggest off the shelf water hose? Vastly increased volume and they come in some lovely colors.
Posted by: Steven   2005-09-09 09:18  

#12  Naso-gastric?

Judging from the base words, I'd say it goes through the nose and into the stomach.

If they starve themselves then they have comitted suicide and go to hell

Except they're jihadis. Which means their deaths are in the cause of Allah, and starving to death ends with them getting their raisins and young boys.
Posted by: Robert Crawford   2005-09-09 08:59  

#11  ok they bitchin about conditions? Weren't they captured in Afghanistan? aka shithole of the earth
Posted by: Uninetle Hupating2229   2005-09-09 08:28  

#10  Y'all missed the last two lines - "They are listed as being in a stable condition and they are recieving nutrition." Asked if they were being force fed, he said: "They are being held in the same standards as US prison standards... they don't allow people to kill themselves via starvation."

Sounds like when they're too weak to resist, they plop 'em in a rack and hook 'em up to a tube. But I'm sure they don't let 'em get too healthy!

BTW, just what sort of implement of torture is the "36-French silastic nasgoastric feeding tube"?

Naso-gastric?
Posted by: Bobby   2005-09-09 07:51  

#9  2points:1)If they starve themselves then they have comitted suicide and go to hell,2)asking wether I believe the terrs or the Pentagon only matters if I care wether they live or die.And I don't.
Posted by: raptor   2005-09-09 07:05  

#8  It seems to me that their are many, many involuntarily starving people in the world who could use the grub. Next...
Posted by: Captain America   2005-09-09 05:12  

#7  How much money does it save the USA if this slime dies? It's always the matter of bottom line right ;-)
Posted by: Long Hair Republican   2005-09-09 02:58  

#6  Hunger strikers pledge to die in Guantánamo

promises promises...

my bad I meant the inmates downwind of the delicious ribs but you knew that right

/double probation. >:
Posted by: Red Dog   2005-09-09 02:35  

#5  my bad I meant the inmates downwind of the delicious ribs but you knew that right
Posted by: Jan   2005-09-09 01:59  

#4  I feel the problem may be us being seen in a bad light for allowing them to die. To stir up more aggitation toward us is something that we don't need now. Maybe if we have someone overseeing (not that I like this idea) the situation to enable us to prove that no wrong doing is going on, in the event that they do die.
Like don't show the guys enjoying the BBQ pork ribs downwind from the inmates.
Posted by: Jan   2005-09-09 01:49  

#3  Starve em and BBQ outside their cells - Pork ribs and beer for the troops!

Ooh, I'm in! Dibs on the potato salad!
Posted by: badanov   2005-09-09 01:32  

#2  hunger strikes only matter if someone cares. Otehrwise, it's just the same as if they decided to slowly make room for another mook. I have no problem with that. Starve em and BBQ outside their cells - Pork ribs and beer for the troops!
Posted by: Frank G   2005-09-09 00:45  

#1  And the problem is?
Posted by: 3dc   2005-09-09 00:18  

00:00