The original content of Democracy Now! Headlines appears under the Creative Commons BY-NC-ND 3.0 License (United States). For more, including their other shows and media, visit www.democracynow.org. June 21, 2013 Gitmo Doctors Reject Call to End Force-Feeding of Hunger-Striking Prisoners ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Pentagon says calls for military doctors to stop the force-feeding of hunger-striking Guantánamo Bay prisoners have fallen on deaf ears. A group of top U.S. doctors and public health specialists recently published an open plea for their colleagues in the military to boycott the mass force-feeding of prisoners, calling it a form of "aggravated assault." On Thursday, Guantánamo Bay prison spokesperson Captain Robert Durand said military doctors have rejected those concerns. Capt. Robert Durand: "This is a lawful order, and I think that that's — you know, I spoke to our medical folks this morning on that very issue, and he said we've not had anyone who's talked about it or, you know, voiced any concern. So, it's a — you know, the American Medical Association, the editorials, they are a — they are an opinion, but the law and policy currently is to preserve life through lawful means." The Pentagon says 104 of Guantánamo's 166 remaining prisoners are on hunger strike, but defense attorneys say the number is higher. At least 44 are being force-fed through tubes. .