Suicide attempts at Guantanamo

2002-08-16 22:13

Washington - Four prisoners held by the US military at a naval base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, as part of an anti-terrorism probe have tried to commit suicide, defence officials acknowledged late on Thursday.

Neither the names nor the nationalities of the four men have been revealed.

But the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said one of the detainees had attempted to slash his wrists with a plastic razor while the others tried to hang themselves using items like sheets and towels.

The officials could not recall the exact date of the attempted suicides but said they occurred over the past couple of months.

The incidents come amid growing controversy surrounding the US government's detention at Guantanamo of 598 foreign nationals captured in Afghanistan and elsewhere and their active debriefing in hopes of gleaning secrets about al-Qaeda and other terror networks.

Relatives of 12 Kuwaitis, two Britons and one Australian held at the base have recently demanded that the men be either formally charged or released.

But a US federal judge ruled last month that "writs of habeas corpus are not available to aliens held outside the United States." - Sapa-AFP

- SAPA