[JURIST] Fifty-two detainees at the Guantanamo Bay prison camp are protesting their detentions and allegedly inhumane treatment by refusing meals, according to a statement released Thursday by the naval base's Joint Task Force [official website]. The prisoners have so far given up nine consecutive meals, but US military officials said "indications are that this is a temporary effort" to protest their detentions. The number of hunger strikers is much less than that reported by two Afghan detainees [JURIST report] released Wednesday, who said over 180 prisoners were refusing to eat. The Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR) [official website] confirmed the strike [CCR report] saying the prisoners' demands include clean food and water, increased respect for their religion, and fair trials with adequate legal representation. Aljazeera has more.
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