Lawyers gain access to Guantanamo medical records
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《英国医生杂志》
A judge in the US Federal District Court, Gladys Kessler, ruled last week that the US government must provide some medical records to lawyers representing four Saudi prisoners who are being force fed at the US detention centre at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. But she denied a request that prisoners have telephone access to their lawyers and families.
The four prisoners began their hunger strike in August and are said to be in a critical condition. At present 24 prisoners are said to be on hunger strike ( BMJ 2005;331: 866, 15 Oct).
Judge Kessler, in Washington, DC, ordered the US government to give the lawyers at least 24 hours' notice of force feeding of their clients. It should also provide medical records for the week before the force feedings began and continue to provide medical records at least weekly until force feeding ends, she ruled.
One prisoner had difficulties speaking because of throat damage from force feeding
Credit: ANDRES LEIGHTON/AP/EMPICS
Judge Kessler wrote, "The Supreme Court has granted Petitioners the right to challenge their detentions... To do so in a meaningful way, they must have access to counsel and to the Court. Such access is particularly necessary where a detainee's life and health are in serious danger."
The lawyers from the New York firm of Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison, who are working pro bono, represent 10 prisoners at Guantanamo Bay, including the four Saudis said to be in critical condition. The lawyers are working with the non-profit Center for Constitutional Rights (www.ccr-ny.org), which represents many prisoners at Guantanamo Bay.
The judge denied the lawyers' request that the prisoners be given telephone access to their lawyers, families, and close friends, because the logistics were too difficult
Julia Tarver, a partner in the New York law firm, who visited Guantanamo Bay in September, said that one prisoner had become emaciated since her previous visit and had difficulty speaking because of lesions in his throat resulting from force feeding. This prisoner also said that nasogastric tubes were painful because insertion was done without any anaesthesia or sedative.
Dr John Edmondson, head of the Guantanamo Bay hospital, denied every one of the detainees' allegations. He said nasogastric tubes were inserted only by trained and experienced doctors.(Janice Hopkins Tanne)
The four prisoners began their hunger strike in August and are said to be in a critical condition. At present 24 prisoners are said to be on hunger strike ( BMJ 2005;331: 866, 15 Oct).
Judge Kessler, in Washington, DC, ordered the US government to give the lawyers at least 24 hours' notice of force feeding of their clients. It should also provide medical records for the week before the force feedings began and continue to provide medical records at least weekly until force feeding ends, she ruled.
One prisoner had difficulties speaking because of throat damage from force feeding
Credit: ANDRES LEIGHTON/AP/EMPICS
Judge Kessler wrote, "The Supreme Court has granted Petitioners the right to challenge their detentions... To do so in a meaningful way, they must have access to counsel and to the Court. Such access is particularly necessary where a detainee's life and health are in serious danger."
The lawyers from the New York firm of Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison, who are working pro bono, represent 10 prisoners at Guantanamo Bay, including the four Saudis said to be in critical condition. The lawyers are working with the non-profit Center for Constitutional Rights (www.ccr-ny.org), which represents many prisoners at Guantanamo Bay.
The judge denied the lawyers' request that the prisoners be given telephone access to their lawyers, families, and close friends, because the logistics were too difficult
Julia Tarver, a partner in the New York law firm, who visited Guantanamo Bay in September, said that one prisoner had become emaciated since her previous visit and had difficulty speaking because of lesions in his throat resulting from force feeding. This prisoner also said that nasogastric tubes were painful because insertion was done without any anaesthesia or sedative.
Dr John Edmondson, head of the Guantanamo Bay hospital, denied every one of the detainees' allegations. He said nasogastric tubes were inserted only by trained and experienced doctors.(Janice Hopkins Tanne)