April 8, 2013
Secretary of Defense
1000 Defense Pentagon, Room 3E880
Washington, DC 20301-1000
Dear Mr.
Secretary:
We are writing
to express the deep concerns of Psychologists for Social Responsibility ( PsySR) regarding the hunger strike of the
detainees at the detention center at Guantà ¡namo Bay. While accounts differ as
to the exact numbers, all sources agree that dozens of prisoners are currently
refusing food. Reports from habeas attorneys suggest that many of these
individuals have lost considerable weight and that some are reaching the stage
where their health may be permanently impaired.
As psychologists
and other mental health professionals and behavioral scientists, we are well
aware of the deleterious effects of hopelessness and powerlessness on physical
and mental health and wellbeing. These conditions result in elevated rates of
depression, anxiety, and other emotional disturbances, as well as increased
susceptibility to disease, heart attacks, and other serious medical conditions.
Washington DC protest. by Medill DC
The situation
that has sparked the hunger strike at Guantà ¡namo induces both hopelessness and
powerlessness. All of the detainees have been imprisoned for years, many having
been there for over 10 years, with no indication of how long they will remain
imprisoned or if they will ever be released. The vast majority has never been
charged with a crime. Most have been cleared for release for several years, but
they remain imprisoned in harsh circumstances due to a lack of political will
among U.S. political leaders. These detainees have been deprived of any
realistic path to remedy their grievances or to restore their sense of autonomy
and self-efficacy. Decades of psychological research and clinical practice
demonstrate that such possibilities are necessary for psychological wellbeing.
Mr. Secretary,
we request that you do all in your power to resolve the hunger strike in a
manner that respects the concerns and autonomy of the detainees. We further
request that you act with all due urgency to resolve the fundamentally inhumane
and un-American use of prolonged imprisonment without trial that lies at the
heart of the Guantà ¡namo project. Since the opening of Guantà ¡namo, the United
States has been viewed by many around the world as a superpower that employs
the abuse of prisoners as an instrument of state policy, thus setting back
decades of progress on human rights. We hope that, as the new Secretary of
Defense, you will reverse this disastrous course.
We further urge
you -- for as long as the Guantà ¡namo detention center remains open -- to allow
the detainees to receive medical evaluations and care from health professionals
who are independent of the military command and responsive solely to the needs
and wishes of the detainees. While many military health professionals are
honorably carrying out their professional responsibility to put their patients'
needs first, the pressures on them in a restricted and secret military setting
necessarily interfere with their ability to do so. Further, numerous reports
suggest the detainees hold a deep distrust of those assigned to treat them,
which interferes with their receiving appropriate care. Only independent health
professionals, outside the military, can remedy this situation. At the same
time, allowing access to independent health professionals would begin to
address the powerlessness that causes so much harm and would help to improve the
standing of the U.S. in the international community.
Mr. Secretary,
the situation at Guantà ¡namo is approaching a tipping point. Please work to
ensure that the situation turns in a positive direction for all concerned, so
that it does not become an ever-greater disaster for both the detainees and the
reputation of the United States.
Thank you for
your attention. Please do not hesitate to contact us if we can be of
assistance.
Sincerely,
Stephen Soldz,
Ph.D.
Co-Chair, Psychologists
for Social Responsibility Human Rights Program
Contact: Email address removed
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