Guantanamo Bay prison officer describes how they have to force feed prisoners

A prison officer at Guantanamo Bay has explained how officers will force feed inmates who go on hunger strike while being held in the facility.

The US military facility, located within the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base in Cuba, is known for being one of the world's most notorious prisons, and as of October 2022 was home to 35 inmates.

Officers at the base have explained that it was originally designed as a 'medium-security facility', but the military had to do some 'modifications' when they arrived because there are no 'medium-security terrorists'.

Guantanamo Bay first opened following the 11 September attacks of 2001, and over the years has housed almost 800 prisoners.

In a segment for 60 Minutes Australia, an officer explained that inmates spend 22 hours a day in their cells, only being allowed out for two hours of outdoor recreation.

Approximately 12 inmates were said to taking part in a hunger strike at the time of filming, three quarters of which were described as being 'enterally fed'.

Receiving enteral nutrition involves having food placed directly into the stomach or small bowel via a tube.

The guard showed the tube and explained the process, saying: "This is the tube that is actually used, it is threaded through the nostril down into the stomach.

"The detainees are medically restrained while the procedure is performed."

60 Minutes Australia

When asked to clarify whether inmates would be 'allowed to die of hunger', the officer responded: "One of our missions here is to preserve life and that's what we're tasked to do."

The process of force-feeding inmates has caused controversy in the past, with lawyers for one man accused of conspiring in the 11 September attacks describing the threat of force-feeding as being psychologically traumatising for their client in a legal filing submitted in 2021.

At the time, a spokesman for the Defence Department, Mike Howard, told the New York Times: "The medical team ensures that detainees that may be conducting self-imposed fasting are not creating damage to their long-term health.

"Any detainee who chooses to conduct a self-imposed fast is made aware of the consequences of this decision.”

One admiral told 60 Minutes Australia there had been 'a lot of criticism' about Guantanamo Bay, but argued the military is holding 'the right detainees' in the 'right place' for the 'right reasons' and in the 'right way'.

"It is a place that I am proud of," he added.