A federal judge's ruling to restore the feeding tube for one of the detainees at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba is illustrating the ongoing problems for the Obama administration in keeping the detention center open.
Jihad Ahmed Mujstafa Diyab is a Syrian who was cleared to be released from the detention center, and went on hunger strike because he remains behind bars at the U.S. military facility.
Our Washington correspondent Priscilla Huff reports:
IN: "Judge Gladys Kessler...
OUT: SOC
DUR: 2:43
AIR: http://www.fsnradionews.com/feeds/0523gitmopkg-ph-air.mp3
ARN: http://www.fsnradionews.com/feeds/0523gitmopkg-ph-arn.mp3
ICRT: http://www.fsnradionews.com/feeds/0523gitmopkg-ph-icrt.mp3
KISS: http://www.fsnradionews.com/feeds/0523gitmopkg-ph-kiss.mp3
NIGERIA: http://www.fsnradionews.com/feeds/0523gitmopkg-ph-von.mp3
RNZ: http://www.fsnradionews.com/feeds/0523gitmopkg-ph-rnz.mp3
TRIBUTE: http://www.fsnradionews.com/feeds/0523gitmopkg-ph-trib.mp3
VATICAN: http://www.fsnradionews.com/feeds/0523gitmopkg-ph-vatican.mp3
ZIZ: http://www.fsnradionews.com/feeds/0523gitmopkg-ph-ziz.mp3
****
Judge Gladys Kessler felt she was faced with a Hobson's choice
allow Jihad Ahmed Mujstafa Diyab: to maintain his hunger strike and risk his death
or, lift the ban on force-feeding by the U.S., causing him agony.
In the end, she felt the court could not allow the Syrian detainee to die.
Outside the White House, Suzanne O'Hatnick was protesting the continuing operation of the U.S. military detention center at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba
"It is a way of holding people indefinitely which is against our principles. the force feeding is cruel and inhumane, but why are they force feeding? because people would rather starve themselves to death than think that they have no future or not know what their future is!"
Mr. Diyab has been held at Guanatamo Bay for 12 years and never charged....
he was cleared for release four years ago by a task force reviewing cases.
Uruguay has offered him a home, but so far, the Obama administration has not moved him from the facility.
Protestors want to see the detention center closed, saying it goes against all American principles.
"I feel that it is immoral in the sense that the people are being kept there are not being given due process of law. And no matter what they've done, especially when the United States is involved, we have a responsibility to ensure that the worst of the worst gets the full protection of our laws. "
"I think we should treat other people the way we treat our own citizens. So if they are guilty of something, they should be tried, they should be tried quickly and that obviously isn't the case because most of them have been down there for 12 years or close to 12 years."
U.S. President Barack Obama promised to close Guanatanamo Bay,
He's even tried the financial argument, pointing out that it costs nearly $1 million per year for each detainee - a budget for $150 million to imprison 160 men.
But the power to change that funding - and speed up the process of closure - lies with the U-S Congress.
Margaret Huang is with Amnesty International
BITE 1
"It needs to be closed now! Its been more than 14 years. President Obama made this one of his first promises when he arrived in office and he's been trying to get this center closed. Unfortunately, Congress is now allowing him to do what needs to be done."
A few men have been transferred out of Guantanamo Bay...
but protestors outside the White House note, at the pace those releases are happening,
U.S. President Barack Obama will long be out of office before they all have new homes.
Calling for the immediate closure of the detention center, they say, one more day open is one day too many.
Priscilla Huff, Washington
***ENDS***
The latest radio news & feature packages from FSN Bureaus worldwide.