Emad Hassan, one of the many Yemeni nationals currently awaiting for US President Barack Obama to make do on his promises of repatriation in relation to all Guantanamo Bay penitentiary cleared detainees, has challenged the US force-feeding policy, arguing the method is not Barbaric but contrary to human dignity.
Held in America’s infamous terror penitentiary since 2002, after he was randomly picked up by the Pakistani authorities and sold out to the US military on account of his allegedly suspicious travelling habits, Hassan has spent over a decade in prison. Held without charge since 2002, Hassan was cleared for release by a US court in 2009, since no proof was ever brought up against his person as to confirm the legitimacy of his arrest or even substantiate the US military terror claims. Stuck in political and judicial limbo, Hassan has been left to wither with little hope for vindication.
Reprieve, an anti-war organization which has faught tooth and nail to see Gitmo closed down confirmed that for the past seven years (2007) Hassan has been forced fed over 7,000 times, each time forced to endure immense pain. With no other means left at his disposal to oppose a system which he deems unjust, Hassan has relentlessly staged hunger strike after hunger strike, determined to break media silence. Each and every time the military subjected him to force feeding session as to ensure that he would not die on their watch.
Hassan is now challenging the legality of such methods.
Eric Lewis, Reprieve Chairman told reporters on the matter, “This case marked a historic step in bringing basic rights to the legal black hole at Guantanamo Bay … This case calls upon US judges to restore the most basic rights, medical standards and human dignity to these men at Guantanamo Bay.”
Speaking out, Hassan stressed, “All I want is what President Obama promised - my liberty, and fair treatment for others. I have been cleared for five years, and I have been force-fed for seven years. This is not a life worth living, it is a life of constant pain and suffering. While I do not want to die, it is surely my right to protest peacefully without being degraded and abused every day."