WASHINGTON, Sept 1 – Scores of detainees are on hunger strike at the Guantanamo US ‘war on terror’ detention camp, lawyers for the detainees and US military authorities said Thursday.
Lawyers for the inmates said at least 210 men had been on hunger strike for the last three weeks. Military officials at Guantanamo said there were 76, but refused to say when the hunger strike started.
«Since January 2002, the (Defense Department) has denied prisoners access to the courts or legal counsel in an effort to avoid justifying the basis for the detentions. This policy has driven detainees to strike until they die or are afforded a fair hearing and humane treatment,» said attorney Gitanjali Gutierrez, of the New York-based Center for Constitutional Rights, which is representing some of the prisoners.
There are about 505 detainees at the detention camp on the US naval base in Cuba.(afp)