Another Guantanamo Detainee Attempts Suicide

Posted - February 14, 2003 7:23pm

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San Juan (AP) - Another terror suspect held by the United States at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba tried to hang himself, the 16th attempted suicide there since detentions began last year, the Pentagon said Friday.

It was also the sixth attempt in the past four weeks at the naval base in eastern Cuba, where a new psychiatric wing is set to open next month.

The detainee tried to hang himself in "the last couple days," Pentagon spokeswoman Lt. Cmdr. Barbara Burfeind said. She said the detainee was fine and back in his cell, being monitored to prevent further attempts.

Amnesty International has demanded an investigation into the wave of suicide attempts, suggesting harsh interrogations may be to blame. U.S. officials insist the questioning is humane.

"I think the United States and the detaining authorities need to come clean about how the prisoners are being interrogated and how they're being treated before a prisoner dies," Amnesty spokesman Alistair Hodgett said in Washington.

The United States is holding about 650 detainees from 41 countries who it suspects are linked to the fallen Taliban regime in Afghanistan or the al-Qaida terror network. The first inmates arrived in January 2002.

One man who tried to hang himself on Jan. 16 is still hospitalized in serious condition. The Pentagon has refused to detail the man's injuries or release his nationality.

Two human rights groups have petitioned the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights to intervene on behalf of detainees to ensure no detainees have been tortured or transferred to other countries for questioning.

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