Hunger Strike Solidarity Fast: Day 7

Hunger Strike Response // Film

***As the Guantanamo Hunger Strike enters it’s 53rd day, we are committed to continuing a “rolling fast” in solidarity***

Before sharing some final reflections on these last seven days fasting together with one another, and in solidarity with those on hunger strike in Guantanamo, we have an important invitation for you to consider.  The Military now counts 37 prisoners on hunger strike, 11 being force fed, and three hospitalized.  When we began this fast the Military count was 21.  Attorneys continue to insist, based on conversations with and visits to their clients, that the real number is over 100.

While the 7 day fast is ending – after generating powerful vigils and visuals, over 500 letters to the prisoners, 100s of phone calls, many press interviews, and a growth in numbers and commitment within our community – we feel compelled to continue a form of fasting in solidarity with those on hunger strike.   Witness Against Torture will be coordinating a “rolling fast” for the duration of the hunger strike.  We are asking individuals to sign up to take a day – from midnight to midnight – when you will fast, make three phone calls, and write one letter.  From the group of over 100 people who participated in some form in the 7 day fast, we are hoping to have all the days of April covered before extending the invitation to participate to the larger community.  PLEASE E-MAIL witnesstorture@gmail.com to sign up for a day between April 1 and May 1.  More details will be available by Monday evening, and more details on next steps, including a possible national day of action, will be coming soon.

It’s been good to be in community with you all this week.  And even better to continue this work together.

Fasting and going forward

When I ate tonight, my body seemed to lose its open, expectant future orientation; its focus is now closed in on the fullness it feels in the present.  As we walk through the passageway of this week into the next, it is clear that our spirits will go beyond our bodies, to continue waiting, hoping, and praying for some piece of good news out of Guantanamo.  We stay open to the hope for some humanity on the part of those who hold the power, some recognition of the ground-down, defiant dignity of our brothers in chains.  — Chrissy

Links for further reading

Hungering for justice in Guantánamo — Frida Berrigan, Waging Nonviolence

Voices from the Hunger Strike in Guantánamo — Andy Worthington, CloseGuantanamo.org

Ahmed Errachidi: ‘We shared one thing in Guantánamo Bay – pain’ — The Guardian

Guantánamo’s Hunger Strike, by the Numbers – Amy Davidson in the New Yorker

twitterFacebooktumblrmailtwitterFacebooktumblrmail

Hunger Strike Solidarity Fast: Day 6

Hunger Strike Response // Film

Guantánamo prisoner hunger strike day 51

Just as the heart beats in the darkness of the body,
so I, despite this cage, continue to beat with life.

Those who have no courage or honor consider themselves free, but they are slaves.

I am flying on the wings of thought,
And so, even in this cage, I know a greater freedom.

– Shaikh Abdurraheem Muslim Dost
A Pakistani poet, three years in Guantanamo, released and subsequently disappeared by Pakistani intelligence

***

“Tell my family if I die to forgive me.”

– Abd al-Wahab
33-year-old Yemeni hunger striker, at Guantanamo since 2002

Fasting seems to be a mess of contradictions.  We can be at once weak and energized, muddled and focused, hungry and satisfied.  Our bodies hold these opposites in tension just as our spirits hold the depths of despair alongside the irrepressible rays of hope.  I invite you as you read the reflections below, from Afghanistan and Virginia, New York and the U.K., to stand in awe of the beauty and exaltedness we are capable of in this world, dark as it is.

Guantanamo Fast in Afghanistan

Afghan Peace Volunteers

On the 28th of March 2013, the Afghan Peace Volunteers had a symbolic, one-day fast in solidarity with the hunger-strike Guantanamo prisoners, and with the peace activists of Witness Against Torture, not with the expectation to change any circumstances but to share the prisoners’ pain and to change themselves.

“I felt today that the feelings humans have for one another have not died.” Mustafa

“I fasted because I wanted to share their pain in a tiny way.” Khamad

“As I was giving my room a new coat of paint, I knew that the prisoners at Guantanamo are not free to paint their cells.” Abdulhai

“I felt that no one should have to go hungry.” Zekerullah

“I did this today for people who are complete strangers to me, but who are as human as me.” Nao Rozi

“Why should people have to suffer and experience torture even if they were guilty?” Barath Khan

“Even though ‘terrorists’ may be my ‘enemies’, I chose to fast today because I hate suffering experienced by anyone, even by those who may be my ‘enemies’.” Farhad

“I fasted with them even though they have no news of my solidarity or news from any part the world.” Raz Mohammad

“The discomfort I had for one day of fasting in solidarity made me think of how natural it would be for a human being to lose all hope after 11 years of doubt and suffering in a Guantanamo cell.”

“It’s sad that some people may think that the ‘terrible’ Guantanamo prisoners are just trying to be difficult by fasting. It indicates that our world is not only willing to condemn with supposedly ‘fair’ trials, we are now willing to condemn a human being with no trial at all.” Hakim

Reflection from the road

Kathy Kelly

On day 50 of the Guantanamo hunger strike and day 6 of a Witness Against Torture fast in solidarity with prisoners in Guantanamo, I’m on a bus traveling a mountain highway in Virginia.  Spring colors, muted yet certain, emerge across fields and valleys.  Distant blue peaks shadow farms where cows and horses graze.  The scenery is picturesque and pastoral.  A week ago, aboard a train to West Virginia, I stared at towns marked by a sad, strong contrast.  The train passed through Appalachian towns.  Collapsed houses, abandoned lots and blighted neighborhoods reminded me of war zones.

Dizzying inequalities persist in the U.S., where we somehow tolerate a war against the most impoverished people even as we wage multiple wars of choice beyond our borders.

Peace activists in Charlottesville invited me to stop in their city on my way home to Chicago.  They arranged a presentation about effects of war on people in other lands.  Because today is Good Friday in the Catholic faith, some of will gather before the Charlottesville Federal Building to observe the traditional stations of the cross, remembering the cross bearers in our world through the lens of gospel narratives about Jesus’ crucifixion.

Nancy Gowen and Bill Streit will meet me, carrying an orange jumpsuit and black hood to help us remember prisoners in Guantanamo.  Among dozens of hunger strikers there, three have been hospitalized and at least eight are being force fed.  The prisoners are protesting indefinite detention, many without charge, as well as disrespect for their holy book, The Quran.  They have tried desperately to reach beyond the cruel confinement in Guantanamo.  Lawyers allowed to meet with the men share poems, correspondence, and occasional photos of art work ingeniously fashioned from scraps and refuse.

Trapped, isolated and desperate, these men raise their lament yet speak of love.

The lament and love are echoed in Afghanistan where Afghan Peace Volunteers spent a day fasting in solidarity with the prisoners in Guantanamo.  When we first met Ali, a young Afghan Peace Volunteer, he asked why U.S. people think Afghan people are animals.  “What made you think that?” we asked him.  “Why else,” he asked, “would they bomb us?”

And yet these young people send another question, beyond their isolation, “Why not love?”

Cries of lament and love echo though mountain ranges, plains, valleys and even prisons in a war-weary planet.  Long ago gospel writers presented Jesus’ lament on the cross, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Jesus’ final utterance, we’re told, is this:  “Into thy hands I commend my spirit.”

We’ll stretch out our hands in front of the Charlottesville Federal Building, bearing the jumpsuit and hood, the banners and photos to remind us of sinful wars. The hunger and yearning of men in Guantanamo, beckons us to stretch out our hands, imagining linkage with kindred spirits worldwide, and to commit to liberation from the chains that bind us to triple evils of racism, poverty and war.

On the Sixth Day of a Fast in Solidarity with the Hunger Strikers at Guantanamo Prison, March 29, 2013

Christopher Hirschmann Brandt

After five days’ fasting,

why am I not hungry?

I’d like to say it’s because

I refuse to be, my hunger

so much less than my

brothers’ in prison,

but

the truth is I’ve eaten

so much and so well

that I have more than

enough as a cushion –

mine

is a comfortable hunger,

not much of a sacrifice.

In many ways I gain from

fasting.

Still, small as it is

I offer my hunger to all

my brothers, held without

charge or reason at Gitmo,

not forgetting Mumia and

Peltier and all the others

unjustly caged.

​Though

I cannot break the bars or

open the prison doors

these words perhaps

can reach through the

prison walls to say,

you are not alone.

Caged birds do not fly

Geraldine Cowan

Caged birds do not fly.
Cruel bars tightly surround
holding them in
while clouds drift by
on empty winds.

Caged birds do not sing.
Cells of torment keep them
joyless, still, lonely, waiting
for the end

In my dreams I see them still
soaring across the heavens
and hear them singing
high up in city trees.

Then I somehow know it, deep within me;
the dull men who capture them
can’t  control their minds
can not delete their stories
can never rub their memories from
the book of time.

Too late! Too late!
They have already written
Upon my soul
etching indelible notes
that will not fade away;
melodies to pass on down through
my children’s  children’s  children,
who’ll live their own lives by the dreams
of free birds flying.

Links for further reading

Guantánamo’s Hunger Strike, by the Numbers — The New Yorker

Guatanamo hunger strikers ready for death – lawyer — Agence France-Presse

Guantanamo guard commander defends prison water — Miami Herald

Red Cross: Gitmo ‘tensions and anguish’ related to the lack of ‘clear legal framework’ — RT.com

Guantánamo Widow — CounterPunch.org

The Guantanamo Diet, written by Johina Aamer — CagePrisoners.com

twitterFacebooktumblrmailtwitterFacebooktumblrmail

Hunger Strike Solidarity Fast: Day 5

Hunger Strike Response // Film

Guantánamo prisoner hunger strike day 50

The Witness Against Torture fasters’ phone call took place tonight, with people calling in from Boston, Chicago, D.C., New York, North Carolina, and West Virginia. It was a joyful, strengthening time together, but nonetheless one theme that arose was a sense of worry – dread that after fifty days and no signs of a willingness to negotiate by the military, the hunger strike does not have an end in sight.

Many fasters reflected on their lack of energy, feeling cold, feeling the challenge of completing daily tasks, and how much they needed the support of others.  And yet, continuing from day four to day five of the fast is so minor compared to what it must take for the prisoners to continue from day forty-nine to day fifty.  Chris K. shared, “I do feel worried; but also I really admire and feel moved by the resistance that is being practiced by the prisoners in Guantanamo, and I’m reflecting on that as I go through the day.”
Continue reading Hunger Strike Solidarity Fast: Day 5

twitterFacebooktumblrmailtwitterFacebooktumblrmail

Hunger Strike Solidarity Fast: Day 4

Hunger Strike Response // Film

Guantánamo prisoner hunger strike day 49

As the definition of marriage has been debated by the Supreme Court in the last two days, many of us have been thinking of family, how we define family, and what our families mean to us. Below is a letter from Johina Aamer to UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown, testifying to how precious her family is to her. Johina’s father is Shaker Aamer, a British citizen held at Guantánamo, a victim of torture and extraordinary rendition.  Also included in today’s update is a beautiful reflection from New York, written by Amy.

At the end of this email you will find links to some recent articles (Starving for Freedom is well worth watching!) and information about tonight’s conference call for fasters.  There are over 100 people participating in the fast, and vigils have been held in Erie, PA, Washington DC, Chicago, NYC, Los Angeles, Northhampton, Toledo, and many other places.  Click here for photos from Guantanamo Hunger Strike Emergency Response Vigils and send us photos and reports to share.

The hunger strike at Guantanamo officially includes 31 men, 11 who are being force fed, and 3 in the hospital.  Attorneys insist that the number of participants is significantly higher.  The crisis in and of Guantanamo goes well beyond any number of hunger strikers.  It is good to be a part of a community trying to respond!  While it may feel insufficient, our collective response is making a difference:

“One of our clients already suffers from other medical conditions that were worsening and now he has started vomiting blood. We’re at a loss for words when we write to them.  It really helps to be able to tell them that others, through WAT and other organizations, are bringing awareness to their suffering. So, thank you.”

Peace.

Continue reading Hunger Strike Solidarity Fast: Day 4

twitterFacebooktumblrmailtwitterFacebooktumblrmail

Hunger Strike Solidarity Fast: Day 3

Hunger Strike Response // Film

Guantánamo prisoner hunger strike day 48

Dear friends,

Peace to you all, and I hope that your fast is bearing fruit in your life and your community. A fellow faster from Nashville, TN sends this spirited check-in:

Day one of my fast (Monday) was fine. My stomach is a weird thing. If I tell myself I am fasting for a cause, I don’t seem to get hungry at all; but, if there is no cause, I stay hungry all the time. That tells me that hunger is largely in my mind.

I had a soup and sandwich Monday night. As I write this, it is Tues afternoon, and I am not hungry at all. My next planned meal is Wednesday around 8:30 pm (approx 48 hours without food).

Wish me luck and lets work to close the Gitmo prison and the Gitmo Naval base and give it back to Cuba!

Joey King
Veterans for Peace

We have also learned from a few more attorneys that the people in Guantanamo know of and appreciate our efforts.  Please continue to spread the word about what is happening in Guantanamo.  Make phone calls to the White House, Department of Defense & Southern Command (they tend to be chatty @ Southcom) – numbers can be found here: http://www.witnesstorture.org/blog/2013/03/20/hunger-strike-response/
We have managed to put at least one letter in the mail to each prisoner in Guantanamo.  Please continue to flood the prison with mail: http://www.witnesstorture.org/letter-writing-campaign/.  And share with us (so we can share with others) any stories or reflections on how the fast is going and what activities are happening in your community.

The prisoner writing below is particularly wrenching, a letter from Adnan Latif who died at Guantánamo last September.  I hope that the opening poem by Maddie, one of the Creighton students we were privileged to spend time with in Chicago, will help us read this difficult writing in the context of practicing “depth and humanity,” love and growth, awareness and compassion.

Love and hope to you my sisters and brothers, and to the men at Guantánamo whose life has become a struggle for justice.

Continue reading Hunger Strike Solidarity Fast: Day 3

twitterFacebooktumblrmailtwitterFacebooktumblrmail

Hunger Strike Press Release

Hunger Strike Response // Film

For Immediate Release: March 26, 2013
Witness Against Torture (www.witnesstorture.org)

Contact: Jeremy Varon, 732-979-3119, jvaron@aol.com; Christopher Knestrick, 216-496-2637, <a href=”cknest11@gmail.com”>cknest11@gmail.com</a>

On Sunday, March 24 human rights activists throughout the United States began a seven day fast and series of actions in solidarity with the men currently on hunger strike at the U.S. prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

Dozens of men, according to detainee lawyers, are entering their seventh week of a hunger strike to protest their indefinite detention and a new wave of alleged abuses. The U.S. Navy now reports that three hunger strikers have been hospitalized and that ten are being force fed — a practice condemned by human rights organizations and used in efforts to “break” prior hunger strikes at Guantanamo. Attorneys also report that some hunger strikers have lost consciousness and are experiencing severe drops in body weight.
Continue reading Hunger Strike Press Release

twitterFacebooktumblrmailtwitterFacebooktumblrmail

Hunger Strike Solidarity Fast: Day 1

Hunger Strike Response // Film

Guantánamo prisoner hunger strike day 46

Hello, friends! Love and strength to you all as we come together in spirit this week to be present to our Muslim brothers in Guantánamo. Please take these daily posts — including prisoner writings, activist reflections, and media links — as a way of staying in touch, staying focused, and deepening our commitment to human rights for all.

If you feel moved to contribute a reflection, please send it to chrissy (dot) nesbitt (at) gmail (dot) com.

Is it true (excerpted)

Osama abu Kamir
Jordanian water truck driver

Is it true that one day we will leave Guantánamo bay?
Is it true that one day we will go back to our homes?
I sail in my dreams. I am dreaming of home. Continue reading Hunger Strike Solidarity Fast: Day 1

twitterFacebooktumblrmailtwitterFacebooktumblrmail

Hunger Strike – Emergency Response

News // Film

We will gather for action in New York City, Chicago, Washington, DC, Los Angeles, Des Moines, Western Massachusetts, and other cities domestically and internationally next week to denounce the barbaric practice of torture and indefinite detention and to demand justice for the men at Guantanamo.
Continue reading Hunger Strike – Emergency Response

twitterFacebooktumblrmailtwitterFacebooktumblrmail

Wednesday, March 20th, 6:30 pm – Vigil for Detainees

News // Film

Wednesday, March 20th, 6:30 pm – Vigil for the Guantanamo Detainees – on the 10th anniversary of the Iraq war this week, we will gather at The White House to pray, remember and speak for our Muslim brothers in Guantanamo, many of whom have been cleared for release but have still not been released due to restrictions our government has subsequently placed on where they can be released and under what conditions. A number of them, having little hope left, are currently undertaking a hunger strike at Guantanamo. (see news articles below)

We will meet in front of the White House at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. Please join us if you can.
Sponsored by Witness Against Torture.

Contact: Malachy Kilbride via email or phone: 571-501-3729

Statement from the Center for Constitutional Rights

Guantanamo Hunger Strike “Potentially Life-Threatening,” Attorneys Allege in Letter to Prison Officials

Gitmo Hunger Strike: ‘Prisoners put their lives on the line in a medieval torture chamber’

twitterFacebooktumblrmailtwitterFacebooktumblrmail