Guantanamo force feeding

Detainees held in the United States' Guantanamo Bay detention camps have initiated both individual and widespread hunger strikes, and camp medical authorities have initiated force-feeding programs.[1][2][3][4][5][6] In 2005, Captain John Edmonson, who was then Naval Base's chief medical officer, asserted that force feeding was a last resort, used only when counseling failed, and when the detainee's body mass index fell below the healthy range.

According to Edmonson detainees normally cooperated, and restraints were unnecessary.[2] According to Edmonson detanees were normally only given 1500 Calories per day.

On February 29, 2006, Richard G. Murphy Jr. and other lawyers for detainee Mohammad Bawazir filed a claim that force-feeding was torture.[7] The lawyers claim that the military made the force-feeding process unnecessary painful and humiliating to break a hunger strike that at one point included more than 100 detainees.

On December 6, 2006, the UN War Crimes Tribunal at The Hague approved the use of force-feeding of Serbian politician Vojislav Šešelj. They decided it was not "torture, inhuman or degrading treatment if there is a medical necessity to do so...and if the manner in which the detainee is force-fed is not inhuman or degrading".[8]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Guantanamo Standard Operating Procedures". Joint Task Force Guantanamo. 2003. Archived from the original on 2010-02-02. http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dod.mil%2Fpubs%2Ffoi%2Fdetainees%2FGITMO_MedicalSOPs.pdf&date=2010-02-02. 
  2. ^ a b Kathleen Rehm (2005-12-01). "GTMO feedings humane, within medical care standards". The Wire (JTF-GTMO). Archived from the original on 2010-02-02. http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.jtfgtmo.southcom.mil%2Fwire%2Fwire%2FWirePDF%2Fv6%2FTheWire-v6-i036-9DEC2005.pdf&date=2010-02-02. Retrieved 2010-02-02. 
  3. ^ JTF-GTMO (2007-03-16). "Measurements of Heights and Weights of Individuals Detained by the Department of Defense at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba". Department of Defense. http://www.dod.mil/pubs/foi/detainees/measurements/. Retrieved 2008-12-22.  mirror
  4. ^ Sonia Saini, Almerindo Ojeda. "Heights, weights, and in-processing dates". Center for the Study of Human Rights in the Americas. Archived from the original on 2009-12-21. http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http%3A%2F%2Fhumanrights.ucdavis.edu%2Fresources%2Flibrary%2Fdocuments-and-reports%2Fgtmo_heightsweights.pdf&date=2009-12-21. 
  5. ^ "Mefasurements of Heights and Weights of Individuals Detained by the Department of Defense at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba (ordered and consolidated version)". Center for the Study of Human Rights in the Americas, from DoD data. Archived from the original on 2009-12-21. http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http%3A%2F%2Fhumanrights.ucdavis.edu%2Fresources%2Flibrary%2Fdocuments-and-reports%2Fgtmo_heightsweights.pdf&date=2009-12-21. 
  6. ^ Andy Worthington (2009). "Starvation statistics". Center for the Study of Human Rights in the Americas. Archived from the original on 2009-12-21. http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http%3A%2F%2Fhumanrights.ucdavis.edu%2Freports%2Fworthington_starvation_statistics.pdf&date=2009-12-21. 
  7. ^ Josh White (March 1, 2006). "Guantanamo Force-Feeding Tactics Are Called Torture". Washington Post. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/02/28/AR2006022801344.html. 
  8. ^ Traynor, Ian (December 7, 2006). "War crimes tribunal orders force-feeding of Serbian warlord". London: The Guardian. http://www.guardian.co.uk/yugo/article/0,,1966016,00.html. Retrieved 2007-09-16. 

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