Gitmo Detainee Commits Suicide

A Saudi prisoner at the detention center in Guantanamo Bay has apparently committed suicide, the U.S. military said in a statement. Human rights organizations have repeatedly warned that indefinite detentions—some now longer than five years—combined with harsh “interrogation techniques” and unfair trials could drive detainees to take their own lives.

BBC:

A cultural adviser was working with the military to ensure that the prisoner’s remains were handled “in a culturally sensitive and religiously appropriate manner,” Southern Command said.

The president of the US Center for Constitutional Rights, Michael Ratner, told the Associated Press news agency the death was likely an act of desperation.

“You have five-and-a-half years of desperation there with no legal way out,” Mr Ratner said.

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