FILE – In this Dec. 4, 2006 file photo reviewed by a U.S. Dept of Defense official, a detainee shields his face as he peers out through the so-called “bean hole” which is used to pass food and other items into detainee cells, at Camp Delta detention center, Guantanamo Bay U.S. Naval Base, Cuba. Lt. Col. Samuel House said Friday, April 26, 2013 that 97 men are now on strike, up three from the day before. He says 19 of them are receiving liquid nutrients through a nasal tube to prevent dangerous weight loss. Another five are under observation at the hospital on the U.S. base in Cuba. The hunger strike began in February 2013, with prisoners protesting conditions and their indefinite confinement. The U.S. holds 166 prisoners at Guantanamo, most without charges. (AP Photo/Brennan Llinsley)
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — A hunger strike among prisoners at Guantanamo Bay keeps growing.
Lt. Col. Samuel House said Saturday that 100 of 166 prisoners at the U.S. base in Cuba have now joined the strike.
He says 19 are receiving liquid nutrients through a nasal tube to prevent dangerous weight loss. House says five of those are at a hospital under observation but that they do not have any life-threatening conditions.
Lawyers for the detainees say the military is undercounting the number of hunger strikers.
Prisoners began the hunger strike in February to protest conditions and indefinite confinement.
