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Uruguay: Fmr. Gitmo Prisoner, Held 12 Years Without Charge on Hunger Strike

HeadlineSep 15, 2016

In Uruguay, a former Guantánamo prisoner emerged from a coma early Thursday amid an ongoing hunger strike demanding he be allowed to leave Uruguay and reunite with his family in Turkey. Abu Wa’el Dhiab was released from Guantánamo in 2014, but he was barred from returning home to Syria. Instead, he was resettled in Uruguay. Earlier this year, he left Uruguay in efforts to return home. In July, he was apprehended in Venezuela and sent back to Uruguay. Now, Dhiab is on hunger strike, demanding he be allowed to reunite with his family. While in Guantánamo, Dhiab also launched a hunger strike to demand his freedom. He was among a group of prisoners subjected to forced feeding. The Obama administration is refusing to release video of the force feeding to the public, but did give the redacted video tape to a court, which reportedly shows graphic images of guards restraining Dhiab and feeding him against his will. Human rights groups have long said the forced feeding of Guantánamo prisoners amounts to torture.

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