The US military officials who run Guantánamo have decided to stop issuing information about the number of prisoners on hunger strike, reports the Miami Herald.
Naval commander John Filostrat, who heads the the prison camp's 20-member public relations team, said they would "no longer publicly issue the number of detainees who choose not to eat as a matter of protest."
This ends a practice of daily disclosure since the protests began nearly a year ago. At one point in the summer, 106 of the 166 captives were fasting. By Monday (2 December), the last day of disclosure, there were 15 prisoners who were being force fed.
A military spokesman said: "The release of this information serves no operational purpose and detracts from the more important issues, which are the welfare of detainees and the safety and security of our troops."
Source: Miami Herald
