Detainees at Bagram, the US military’s largest detention facility in Afghanistan, have been on hunger strikes to protest their indefinite detention, according to a report by human rights lawyers. The report, based on interviews with detainees released from Bagram, reveals a system of indefinite detention without trial, which is causing psychological torment to the detainees. The hunger strikes, previously undisclosed, are a means of protest against this system.
The report also highlights the use of force-feeding, a practice considered as torture by the UN and medical associations worldwide. One detainee claimed to have been force-fed while strapped to a chair, a method similar to those reported at Guantánamo Bay.
The US military denies the allegations of force-feeding, stating that it only provides “enteral feeding” when a detainee’s life is at risk. Yet, the report suggests that the US military’s medical personnel are complicit in the practice. The US government has also been accused of keeping detainees in the dark about the legal processes that could lead to their release, adding to their psychological distress.
The report calls for the US to end indefinite detention without trial and to provide detainees with legal representation. It also urges the US to stop force-feeding and to ensure that medical personnel are not complicit in any form of torture.
Go to source article: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jul/16/bagram-detainees-hunger-strikes-revealed