Yasiin Bey, the rapper-actor-political activist formerly known as Mos Def, has added his voice to the rising chorus of people protesting the brutal force feeding of prisoners at Guantánamo Bay. Today, 120 prisoners are on hunger strike, many since late February. Every day, forty-four to forty-six are force fed.
In order to illustrate and help publicize the pain and humiliation involved in this process, Bey volunteered to subject himself to the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) involved in force feeding. The video below shows this experience. The video was made by Reprieve, a human rights organization based in the United Kingdom which has represented dozens of Guantanamo prisoners, and was directed by the Bafta award-winning director Asif Kapadia.
What Bey endures is brutal, as you can see for yourself. But the full treatment in accordance with the Standard Operating Procedure manual is even more brutal. When a force feeding order is given, a guard shackles the prisoner and places a mask over his mouth to prevent spitting and biting. A feeding tube is inserted through his nose. Medics use a stethoscope and a test dose of water to check that the tube has descended all the way to his stomach. When the tube has been secured with tape, “the enteral nutrition and water that has been ordered is started, and flow rate is adjusted according to detainee`s condition and tolerance.” The feeding can be completed in twenty to thirty minutes but might take up to two hours. After the “nutrient infusion” is completed, he is placed in a “dry cell” and observed for up to sixty minutes for any “indications of vomiting or attempts to induce vomiting.” If he vomits, he can be put through the whole process again.
Last week, lawyers representing four hunger-striking prisoners went to court to press for an end to force feeding. They argued that that force feeding is “painful, inhumane, degrading, and a violation of medical ethics” for the prisoners, and would be even more distressing during Ramadan, the Muslim holy month of fasting, which begins on 9 July. The court commanded that force feeding during Ramadan should be done at night, ostensibly to demonstrate respect for the prisoners’ religious beliefs. The lawyers appealed that decision on the grounds that the process of force feeding dozens of prisoners twice each night would exacerbate the pain and risk to prisoners, and turn the medical bay of the prison into a “force feeding factory."
The video featuring Yasiin Bey is part of the protest calling for an end to all force feeding.