Cidersomerset
6th June 2013, 19:32
Its about time the BBC did a report on Guantanamo. I've been posting many updates
over the last year mainly from RT and Channel four new, its a discrace the main media
outlets have been so quite. This seems to be a full report........
NE1x0o8_urM
http://static.bbci.co.uk/frameworks/barlesque/2.45.9/desktop/3.5/img/blq-blocks_grey_alpha.png
Guantanamo's asymmetric war as hunger strike continues
6 June 2013 Last updated at 16:36
By Jonathan Beale
BBC News, Guantanamo Bay
Jonathan Beale visits "Camp Five" where the Guantanamo hunger strike started
vid on link.....http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-22795468
A hunger strike at at the US military prison at Guantanamo Bay, which started with
a handful of prisoners, has now become a mass protest with 103 out of the 166
detainees still held here taking part. On Wednesday night, the number of those
detainees being "force-fed" rose to 41 - up from 38 just 24 hours ago. The protest
began in February and has been growing for almost four months. Lawyers
representing detainees say it was sparked by tougher prison searches.
The US military, which runs the camp, says those searches uncovered various
contraband items, including homemade weapons that have been used to attack
prison guards. The detainees' lawyers claim that during those searches the Koran
was mishandled - something the US military strongly deny.
"Zac", the US military's "cultural adviser" who liaises with the prisoners, says it is a
familiar tactic to attract the attention of the outside world. Prisoners, many of
whom have been held here for more than a decade, most without charge, do not
want to be forgotten.
We were shown around empty cells and the communal areas of Camps Five and
Six. On previous visits, we have been allowed to watch the detainees mingle
together from a distance. Over the years, the harsh regime appeared to have been
relaxed.
Journalists who visit Guantanamo are still not allowed to identify or talk to the
detainees. This time, though, we were kept well away from those being held. The
nearest we came was during early-morning prayers when we were able to hear, but
not see, them behind their heavy cell doors.
Most prisoners are now locked up, on their own, for 22 hours a day. The old
privileges of communal living are being denied to all but a few - around 20 of the
so-called "compliant detainees".
http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/68021000/jpg/_68021859_detainee624.jpg
Guantanamo prisoner Shackles are called "humane restraints" and force-feeding is
a banned word, too It was US President George W Bush's administration that
invented a new language and new rules to justify Guantanamo's existence as a
camp for "unlawful enemy combatants" - without the long-established rights
of "prisoners of war" .
'Enteral feeding'
Though they now apply the Geneva Conventions at Guantanamo, old habits appear
to die hard. So shackles used to restrain detainees are never called that. They are
simply referred to as "humane restraints". Force-feeding is also a term that is
avoided. Here it's called "enteral feeding".
We were shown around the medical centre where some of those prisoners are fed
nutritional supplements to ensure they survive and maintain a safe body weight. As
with the camp guards, the medical staff did not want to be identified.
“
Start Quote
There are plenty of detainees who are still in the fight, they are looking for any
means to resist to, to assault or to harm a guard, anything that keeps them in the
fight for their cause.”
End Quote Col John Bogden Camp commander
Faces cannot be filmed and their name tags have been removed. Instead, the
medical staff have adopted fictional names from the plays of William Shakespeare.
The medics say it allows them to maintain a relationship with the patients they are
treating. An extra 37 medical staff have recently been flown out to Guantanamo to
help deal with the growing hunger strike.
The Senior Medical Officer (SMO), explains the procedure for what he calls "enteral
feeding". A tube is inserted up the nose of the detainee and then fed down the
throat into the stomach to deliver the nutritional supplement. This takes place twice
a day - the tube is inserted and extracted each time.
A former detainee, Omar Deghayes, who took part in earlier hunger strikes before
he was released from Guantanamo five years ago, says it is painful. He likens it to
the sharp pain caused by a knife. But the medical staff here insist it is humane.
Olive oil is often used to ease the passage of the tube. Recently, the military
medical staff have been willing to show the restraining chair used to strap down
prisoners as they are force-fed. It is no longer a secret. The staff, who clearly have
a challenging job, insist the chair is not just for their own safety, but to help the
prisoner with the process.
Continue reading the main story CLICKABLE
LabelsOffOn
Guantanamo Bay Camp Delta: Camps 1-3
Camp 6
Camp 5
Camp X-Ray
Camp Justice
Camp 4
Camp 7 - Secret
Camp JusticeCamp Justice1/2. A number of Guantanamo detainees have been tried
by military commission at Camp Justice. Tents on an old runway house lawyers,
activists and journalists during the hearings, which are held in a former airfield
building. (Click image for next slide)
Canadian2/2. Canadian-born Omar Khadr was 15 when he was arrested for an
attack on a US soldier in Afghanistan in 2002. He was held and tried at
Guantanamo, where he pleaded guilty to murder in violation of the law of war and
other charges. In September 2012, he was returned to Canada to serve the rest of
his sentence.
Camp X-Ray The first detainees to arrive at the Guantanamo prison in 2002 were
held in the open cages of Camp X-Ray. The camp is no longer used and detainees
are held in the detention complex to the south.
Camp 61/3. Camp 6 is a medium-security facility where detainees are held in
individual cells. At least 60 detainees are believed to be held here. (Click image for next slide)
2/3. There are communal areas where detainees could congregate and take
classes, as well as having access to a large recreation area 22 hours a day. (Click
image for next slide)
3/3. Detainees are currently being kept in their single cells for 22 hours a day.
Camp 51/3. Camp 5 is where the most non-compliant and hostile detainees are
held. The facility has been built with many features that can be found in maximum-
security prisons in the United States. About 80 detainees are reported to be in
Camp 5. (Click image for next slide)
2/3. The main building has special interrogation cells, solitary entertainment cells
with an ankle shackles and open-air, cage-like recreation areas. (Click image for
next slide)
3/3. Attached to Camp Fve is Camp Echo for detainees who have co-operated with
the US Government and provided information. They are under protection. The cells
have steel doors instead of wire mesh.
Camp Delta Camp Delta - made up of three camps - was built to provide more
permanent facilities to replace Camp X-Ray. In 2006, three detainees were found
hanging in their cells. The camp is no longer used to hold detainees but does house
the detainee hospital library.
Camp 7Camp 7 is a secret camp within the detention complex, and few details are
available. Sixteen individuals are being held in Camp 7.
Camp 4 Camp 4 was designed to be a pre-release detention area with dormitory-
style rooms, communal showers and eating areas. In 2006, detainees attacked
guards as they responded to staged suicide attempt. The facility was closed for
repairs in 2011 but has not been reopened.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/special/panels/13/jun/guantanamo/img/graphic_1370437439.gif
A surgical mask is sometimes placed over the detainee to prevent them from
spitting out the nutritional supplement. Still the SMO insists that it is really not
force-feeding because the prisoner always has a choice to swallow the formula
orally without the need for the tube.
The SMO says that some detainees are only taking part in the hunger strike
because of peer pressure. He also claims that some have been advised to go on
hunger strike by their lawyers to raise their plight in the media. He adds the tactic
seems to be working because of the recent increase in requests for media visits.
'Go home'
Nevertheless, the process of force-feeding has been condemned by the United
Nations and the American Medical Association. They say it is a betrayal of medical
ethics. The military staff, though, who carry out the procedure, says it would be
unethical to allow a patient to starve. The US military insists that it is legal and
complies with the same practice carried out in federal prisons.
The goal is clearly to ensure that none of the prisoners dies. One detainee has been
on hunger strike for more than five years. The camp's psychologist says many of
those refusing meals are suffering from depression. But few are willing to seek
help.
That sense of defiance was born out as we were escorted quickly around
Guantanamo. In Camp Six, we heard one detainee shouting out in protest. Later, a
few prisoners appear to catch a glimpse of our presence from behind the screens
that are used to block their line of sight.
Guantanamo in numbers
http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/67994000/jpg/_67994347_guantanamo2_624gr.jpg
We hear one shout out : "Don't believe what they're saying… We're all on hunger
strike here in the name of freedom and justice."
Another voice adds in more faltering English: "We are safekeeping the hunger
strike, we don't see any change" - clearly an attempt to contradict any message
from their captives that the situation is all under control.
I ask the camp commander, Col John Bogden, why he thinks so many are taking
part in this protest. He says their "initial issues were to do with some changes in
the camp rules". But he adds the main reason for the protest is that "they want to
go home".
President Barack Obama's recently renewed pledge to close down Guantanamo, one
that he originally made five years ago, may have given them hope that an end may
be in sight. Yet no-one yet knows how he will be able to fulfil his promise or how
this hunger strike will end.
In the meantime, Col Bogden says he will continue following his orders. I ask if he
considers whether this hunger strike is part of what has been described as
an "asymmetric war".
"I think that's probably an accurate description of what they do. I mean, there are
plenty of detainees who are still in the fight, they are looking [for] any means to
resist to, to assault or to harm a guard, anything that keeps them in the fight for
their cause."
Although around 80 of the detainees who are still being held have been "cleared for
transfer", he still describes them as "dangerous men".
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-22795468
over the last year mainly from RT and Channel four new, its a discrace the main media
outlets have been so quite. This seems to be a full report........
NE1x0o8_urM
http://static.bbci.co.uk/frameworks/barlesque/2.45.9/desktop/3.5/img/blq-blocks_grey_alpha.png
Guantanamo's asymmetric war as hunger strike continues
6 June 2013 Last updated at 16:36
By Jonathan Beale
BBC News, Guantanamo Bay
Jonathan Beale visits "Camp Five" where the Guantanamo hunger strike started
vid on link.....http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-22795468
A hunger strike at at the US military prison at Guantanamo Bay, which started with
a handful of prisoners, has now become a mass protest with 103 out of the 166
detainees still held here taking part. On Wednesday night, the number of those
detainees being "force-fed" rose to 41 - up from 38 just 24 hours ago. The protest
began in February and has been growing for almost four months. Lawyers
representing detainees say it was sparked by tougher prison searches.
The US military, which runs the camp, says those searches uncovered various
contraband items, including homemade weapons that have been used to attack
prison guards. The detainees' lawyers claim that during those searches the Koran
was mishandled - something the US military strongly deny.
"Zac", the US military's "cultural adviser" who liaises with the prisoners, says it is a
familiar tactic to attract the attention of the outside world. Prisoners, many of
whom have been held here for more than a decade, most without charge, do not
want to be forgotten.
We were shown around empty cells and the communal areas of Camps Five and
Six. On previous visits, we have been allowed to watch the detainees mingle
together from a distance. Over the years, the harsh regime appeared to have been
relaxed.
Journalists who visit Guantanamo are still not allowed to identify or talk to the
detainees. This time, though, we were kept well away from those being held. The
nearest we came was during early-morning prayers when we were able to hear, but
not see, them behind their heavy cell doors.
Most prisoners are now locked up, on their own, for 22 hours a day. The old
privileges of communal living are being denied to all but a few - around 20 of the
so-called "compliant detainees".
http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/68021000/jpg/_68021859_detainee624.jpg
Guantanamo prisoner Shackles are called "humane restraints" and force-feeding is
a banned word, too It was US President George W Bush's administration that
invented a new language and new rules to justify Guantanamo's existence as a
camp for "unlawful enemy combatants" - without the long-established rights
of "prisoners of war" .
'Enteral feeding'
Though they now apply the Geneva Conventions at Guantanamo, old habits appear
to die hard. So shackles used to restrain detainees are never called that. They are
simply referred to as "humane restraints". Force-feeding is also a term that is
avoided. Here it's called "enteral feeding".
We were shown around the medical centre where some of those prisoners are fed
nutritional supplements to ensure they survive and maintain a safe body weight. As
with the camp guards, the medical staff did not want to be identified.
“
Start Quote
There are plenty of detainees who are still in the fight, they are looking for any
means to resist to, to assault or to harm a guard, anything that keeps them in the
fight for their cause.”
End Quote Col John Bogden Camp commander
Faces cannot be filmed and their name tags have been removed. Instead, the
medical staff have adopted fictional names from the plays of William Shakespeare.
The medics say it allows them to maintain a relationship with the patients they are
treating. An extra 37 medical staff have recently been flown out to Guantanamo to
help deal with the growing hunger strike.
The Senior Medical Officer (SMO), explains the procedure for what he calls "enteral
feeding". A tube is inserted up the nose of the detainee and then fed down the
throat into the stomach to deliver the nutritional supplement. This takes place twice
a day - the tube is inserted and extracted each time.
A former detainee, Omar Deghayes, who took part in earlier hunger strikes before
he was released from Guantanamo five years ago, says it is painful. He likens it to
the sharp pain caused by a knife. But the medical staff here insist it is humane.
Olive oil is often used to ease the passage of the tube. Recently, the military
medical staff have been willing to show the restraining chair used to strap down
prisoners as they are force-fed. It is no longer a secret. The staff, who clearly have
a challenging job, insist the chair is not just for their own safety, but to help the
prisoner with the process.
Continue reading the main story CLICKABLE
LabelsOffOn
Guantanamo Bay Camp Delta: Camps 1-3
Camp 6
Camp 5
Camp X-Ray
Camp Justice
Camp 4
Camp 7 - Secret
Camp JusticeCamp Justice1/2. A number of Guantanamo detainees have been tried
by military commission at Camp Justice. Tents on an old runway house lawyers,
activists and journalists during the hearings, which are held in a former airfield
building. (Click image for next slide)
Canadian2/2. Canadian-born Omar Khadr was 15 when he was arrested for an
attack on a US soldier in Afghanistan in 2002. He was held and tried at
Guantanamo, where he pleaded guilty to murder in violation of the law of war and
other charges. In September 2012, he was returned to Canada to serve the rest of
his sentence.
Camp X-Ray The first detainees to arrive at the Guantanamo prison in 2002 were
held in the open cages of Camp X-Ray. The camp is no longer used and detainees
are held in the detention complex to the south.
Camp 61/3. Camp 6 is a medium-security facility where detainees are held in
individual cells. At least 60 detainees are believed to be held here. (Click image for next slide)
2/3. There are communal areas where detainees could congregate and take
classes, as well as having access to a large recreation area 22 hours a day. (Click
image for next slide)
3/3. Detainees are currently being kept in their single cells for 22 hours a day.
Camp 51/3. Camp 5 is where the most non-compliant and hostile detainees are
held. The facility has been built with many features that can be found in maximum-
security prisons in the United States. About 80 detainees are reported to be in
Camp 5. (Click image for next slide)
2/3. The main building has special interrogation cells, solitary entertainment cells
with an ankle shackles and open-air, cage-like recreation areas. (Click image for
next slide)
3/3. Attached to Camp Fve is Camp Echo for detainees who have co-operated with
the US Government and provided information. They are under protection. The cells
have steel doors instead of wire mesh.
Camp Delta Camp Delta - made up of three camps - was built to provide more
permanent facilities to replace Camp X-Ray. In 2006, three detainees were found
hanging in their cells. The camp is no longer used to hold detainees but does house
the detainee hospital library.
Camp 7Camp 7 is a secret camp within the detention complex, and few details are
available. Sixteen individuals are being held in Camp 7.
Camp 4 Camp 4 was designed to be a pre-release detention area with dormitory-
style rooms, communal showers and eating areas. In 2006, detainees attacked
guards as they responded to staged suicide attempt. The facility was closed for
repairs in 2011 but has not been reopened.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/special/panels/13/jun/guantanamo/img/graphic_1370437439.gif
A surgical mask is sometimes placed over the detainee to prevent them from
spitting out the nutritional supplement. Still the SMO insists that it is really not
force-feeding because the prisoner always has a choice to swallow the formula
orally without the need for the tube.
The SMO says that some detainees are only taking part in the hunger strike
because of peer pressure. He also claims that some have been advised to go on
hunger strike by their lawyers to raise their plight in the media. He adds the tactic
seems to be working because of the recent increase in requests for media visits.
'Go home'
Nevertheless, the process of force-feeding has been condemned by the United
Nations and the American Medical Association. They say it is a betrayal of medical
ethics. The military staff, though, who carry out the procedure, says it would be
unethical to allow a patient to starve. The US military insists that it is legal and
complies with the same practice carried out in federal prisons.
The goal is clearly to ensure that none of the prisoners dies. One detainee has been
on hunger strike for more than five years. The camp's psychologist says many of
those refusing meals are suffering from depression. But few are willing to seek
help.
That sense of defiance was born out as we were escorted quickly around
Guantanamo. In Camp Six, we heard one detainee shouting out in protest. Later, a
few prisoners appear to catch a glimpse of our presence from behind the screens
that are used to block their line of sight.
Guantanamo in numbers
http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/67994000/jpg/_67994347_guantanamo2_624gr.jpg
We hear one shout out : "Don't believe what they're saying… We're all on hunger
strike here in the name of freedom and justice."
Another voice adds in more faltering English: "We are safekeeping the hunger
strike, we don't see any change" - clearly an attempt to contradict any message
from their captives that the situation is all under control.
I ask the camp commander, Col John Bogden, why he thinks so many are taking
part in this protest. He says their "initial issues were to do with some changes in
the camp rules". But he adds the main reason for the protest is that "they want to
go home".
President Barack Obama's recently renewed pledge to close down Guantanamo, one
that he originally made five years ago, may have given them hope that an end may
be in sight. Yet no-one yet knows how he will be able to fulfil his promise or how
this hunger strike will end.
In the meantime, Col Bogden says he will continue following his orders. I ask if he
considers whether this hunger strike is part of what has been described as
an "asymmetric war".
"I think that's probably an accurate description of what they do. I mean, there are
plenty of detainees who are still in the fight, they are looking [for] any means to
resist to, to assault or to harm a guard, anything that keeps them in the fight for
their cause."
Although around 80 of the detainees who are still being held have been "cleared for
transfer", he still describes them as "dangerous men".
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-22795468