There are moments in history that require a truly heroic transformation of consciousness among our people. The prisoners' hunger strike represents a ghastly humanitarian crisis; but also presents an opportunity to raise the volume of resistance.
Prisoners are determined to end their torture, 'one way or the other': Release us from this nightmare or let us die. Guantanamo must be closed NOW, before it becomes a death camp.
Anti-torture activists know that it will take a massive demonstration of support to stop the suffering and to save the lives of those who have not yet crossed the threshold for recovery (the body starts shutting down after 40 days of starvation; some of these men have denied food since early February). As it stands now, the only way out of their hell-on-earth is in a coffin.
Prisoner lawyers describe worsening conditions, religious provocation, and the crushing reality of 11 years of indefinite detention, most recently reporting that prisoners were denied drinkable water.
The President and Congress have responded to prisoner
demands with callous disregard for basic legal and human rights. Obama has
demonstrated that he has no intention of closing the prison camp. He has shut down the office working to close the facility. Funds are being allocated to rebuild Camp 7. It is impossible
to predict how long the scenario of force-feeding to keep men alive, a form of torture in its own right, can play out.
When ignore -ance = death, silence is not an option.
