Voices from Guantánamo

Voices from Guantánamo

CCR Staff Attorney Omar Farah is headed back down to Guantánamo this morning to visit our clients Tariq Ba Odah and Fahd Ghazy. Tariq, as Frontlines of Justice readers know, has been on a hunger strike for over eight years. He is protesting his unjust detention with the only means available, his very body. The strength of his spirit is incredible, even as the damage to his body is almost indescribable. Concern for his health has prompted this latest visit. Meanwhile, Omar’s notes from the previous visit in March have just been declassified by the government (yes, even what we can report from our meetings with our Guantánamo clients is controlled by the government) so we can now share some of Tariq’s words: “It’s difficult to communicate with others here. I can’t even go for the rec walk because I’m too tired,” he told Omar and Advocacy Program Manager Aliya Hussain. “Besides, I am protesting—they want me to go outside, get fresh air, get some sun. I say I am protesting for the humiliation and long time that I have been here.” Because of his peaceful protest, Tariq is subjected to especially harsh treatment in Guantánamo’s Camp 5: he experiences nearly 24-hour solitary confinement, is forcibly extracted from his cell every day to be force-fed, and is prevented from interacting with other prisoners. This makes our visits with him all the more critical, to bring in light from the outside world, and to carry Tariq’s message of resistance out. Aliya and Omar shared with him news of this year’s protests on the January 11 anniversary of Guantánamo’s opening, where one gathering cited Tariq’s own words – “one body with one heart” – to describe their solidarity with those illegally and unjustly detained. “It’s amazing, when you write something spontaneously, you don’t realize how your words impact others,” Tariq said in response. “I can’t believe there are people outside advocating for us. I want to thank everyone."