LONDON, CMC – The London-based human rights watchdog, Amnesty International, has urged United States authorities to urgently end indefinite detention at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, following reports that more than half the detainees are now on hunger strike.
According to Amnesty International, it has been confirmed that 84 of the 166 detainees held at the US naval base are on hunger strike. The detainees began their protest in early February to protest against what they said were abusive cell searches and deteriorating conditions.
The human rights group noted that US military authorities have rejected the claims, but have acknowledged “a sense of despair among detainees because they think the US administration has abandoned its efforts to close the detention facility.”