Numerous protests have been raised by prisoners at the US military detention centre at Guantanamo Bay. Over a 100 inmates went on a hunger strike against the brutal treatment and indefinite confinement. These protests rapidly gained media’s attention. Prison authorities responded to the strike by restraining the inmates in a feeding chair with their arms, legs and head strapped to it until the food digested properly.

Though internationally it’s a duty to respect the protest and the strikers’ decision not to eat anything, the American policy directs force feeding the prisoners for the own ‘safety and welfare”. President Barack Obama has defended this practice at Guantanamo, telling a news conference last year, “I don’t want these individuals to die”.

As for me, I stand for the right of the prisoners in this very case.  I don’t know what the situation at Guantanamo prison is, have no idea about their treatment. But if the government goes against the right to go on a strike, it automatically blocks the inmates’ all other rights, in fact, the people are treated like animals having no ability to speak and to be heard.  And this is all despite the fact that their wines, in many cases, have not been proven…

As of now, 155 detainees remain at Guantanamo but the current number of strikers is unknown. The prison authorities stopped disclosing the details of the protest last December, saying it’s no longer in their interest to publicly release the information. However, according to some hidden sources, at the latest count, 17 of the strikers continue to be force-fed.