Jack Straw must act on hunger striking Guantanamo Bay prisoners

4.12.07pm UTC (GMT +0000) Wed 14th Sep 2005

It was learned recently that nearly one-fourth of prisoners at the Guantanamo Bay US military base have been on a hunger strike since 8 August. Reports have indicated that 18 are being forced fed to keep them alive - 13 through nasal tubes and five intravenously.

Liz Lynne MEP, who had a constituent returned from the US base earlier this year said,

"Last year a letter written by my constituent Moazzam Begg was received by his family uncensored which detailed a string of abuses. This, along with the new information about hunger strikes from within the base, paints a disturbing picture of what is going on.

"It is ridiculous that these so-called 'enemy combatants' are still in the same predicament since the camp's opening in January 2002. They must either be charged or released - to do otherwise jeopardizes our own moral authority, or are the Americans waiting for one of them to die before they act. I call upon Jack Straw to demand from the USA Government what action is going to be taken to alleviate the situation.

"Conditions within the camp sound terrible as it is. I hate to think that they have become even worse now that prisoners have begun to starve themselves or be forced fed through nasal tubes. This injustice has gone on too long.

"We are all agreed on the importance of fighting terrorism, but we cannot surrender the basic human rights and values Europe shares with America. If we do the terrorists will have won."

ENDS.