Since early February, most of the prisoners at Guantanamo Bay have been on a hunger strike in protest of deteriorating conditions that harken back to Bush-era policies. In addition to the already harsh security measures they regularly endure, detainees are reporting prison interpreters have been “searching the men’s Qur’ans in ways that constitute desecration according to their religious beliefs,” and that their personal items like mail legal documents and photos are being confiscated without cause.
All but a few of the men in the prison, many of whom have no charges against them or have already been cleared for release, have been denying meals for the past three weeks.
However, the military is not acknowledging the strike, insisting that the current demonstration has not yet met their definition of a hunger strike.
On March 4, lawyers from HSRR along with the Center for Constitutional Rights sent a letter asking prison authorities to address this developing situation.