Several more detainees at the United States’ infamous Guantanamo Bay prison in Cuba are staging a hunger strike to protest disrespect of the Qur’an and confiscation of their personal items.
A prison spokesman said on Monday that there are 28 prisoners on hunger strike, up from 21 a week earlier.
Navy Capt. Robert Durand also said that three detainees have been hospitalized for dehydration while 10 are being force-fed to prevent dangerous weight loss.
On March 11, attorneys for more than a dozen of the prisoners said that the protest was prompted by a series of searches that began on February 6 in which a number of personal items, including books, CDs, blankets, and legal mail, were confiscated.
Meanwhile, a group of around 50 military-appointed public defenders, who represent most of the Guantanamo prisoners, has said the majority of the inmates are on hunger strike.
Rights activists say several prisoners have lost between nine to 22 kilograms (48.5 pounds).
They also accuse jail authorities of seeking to downplay the extent of the situation inside the detention camp.
The US holds about 166 men at the prison. A mass hunger strike involved many of the prisoners in the summer of 2005 but the protest dwindled after the military began tying people down and force-feeding them liquid nutrients through tubes to prevent them from starving to death.
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