Judge orders release of Guantanamo force-feeding videos

A federal judge on Friday ordered the Obama administration to release videotapes of a hunger-striking Guantanamo Bay prisoner being removed from his cell and force-fed.

{mosads}U.S. District Judge Gladys Kessler issued an order for the release of 28 videos to the public and media outlets that asked the court on June 20 to unseal the tapes, which are classified “secret,” according to the Associated Press.

In a 28-page opinion, Kessler wrote, “I want Americans to see what is going on at the prison today, so they will understand why we are hunger-striking, and why the prison should be closed. If the American people stand for freedom, they should watch these tapes. If they truly believe in human rights, they need to see these tapes.”

Prisoner Abu Wa’el Dhiab, a Syrian citizen who has been at Guantanamo since 2002, began his hunger strike 18 months ago.  The government started force-feeding him through the nose starting in April 2013, the Los Angeles Times reported

Lawyers for Dhiab have challenged his treatment as abusive.