Democracy Gone Astray

Democracy, being a human construct, needs to be thought of as directionality rather than an object. As such, to understand it requires not so much a description of existing structures and/or other related phenomena but a declaration of intentionality.
This blog aims at creating labeled lists of published infringements of such intentionality, of points in time where democracy strays from its intended directionality. In addition to outright infringements, this blog also collects important contemporary information and/or discussions that impact our socio-political landscape.

All the posts here were published in the electronic media – main-stream as well as fringe, and maintain links to the original texts.

[NOTE: Due to changes I haven't caught on time in the blogging software, all of the 'Original Article' links were nullified between September 11, 2012 and December 11, 2012. My apologies.]

Tuesday, September 24, 2013

Guantanamo Officials Stop Daily Release Of Hunger Strike Numbers

WASHINGTON -- Military officials at the Guantanamo Bay prison camp announced on Monday that they would stop automatically releasing the numbers of detainees being tracked as hunger strikers and those being force-fed. The hunger strike, which began in February and once involved the vast majority of Guantanamo's low-value detainees, has been carried on by just 19 of the facility's 164 prisoners for the past two weeks.

"Since 2007, there has been a small number of detainees who have chosen to hunger strike long-term with occasional increases and decreases," Lt. Col. Samuel E. House, a military spokesman in Guantanamo, said in an email to reporters. "Following July 10, 2013, the number of hunger strikers has dropped significantly, and we believe today's numbers represent those who wish to continue to strike. As always, our medical professionals will continue to monitor and evaluate the detainees while providing them with the appropriate level of care."

House said that journalists individually could still request the numbers of hunger strikers and those being force-fed, but that the daily emails providing those numbers would end as of Monday.

While more than 100 detainees -- including most of those living in Camp Six, where the more compliant detainees are held -- had been involved in the hunger strike at its peak, that number fell significantly after officials forced detainees into individual cells and declared that those participating in the hunger strike were banned from living in a community setting.

Original Article
Source: huffingtonpost.com
Author: Ryan J. Reilly 

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