In July 2005 Sami al Hajj embarked on a hunger strike along with up to 200 other detainees. In his own words, he states that "the demands [of the strike] include stopping the heavy handed approach to the prisoners, particularly those in Camp V, and to give us the health care we need so much Also to stop the widespread practice of drugging the prisoners and manipulating their state of mind." The demands also included that Camp V be shut down, because "conditions are so bad" in that modern, ‘supermaximum’ security style block.
The detainees called a halt to their hunger strike after the authorities reportedly made a number of promises to the detainees to improve their conditions of detention. It quickly transpired, however, that the harsh treatment of the detainees, and their legal limbo, would not cease.
The strike restarted in response to the beating of several detainees and the failure of the authorities to implement the promised reforms. Sami al Hajj expressed the desperation of the detainees restarting their hunger strike when he said that "it is not something that I look forward to, but I must".
" I wish to return to Sudan to resume my normal life with my precious family – Sami al Hajj
Sami al Hajj’s family were not informed of his arrest in Pakistan. They believe that the Sudanese government knew about his arrest but did not intervene and refused to inform the family. It was over one month after Sami al Hajj had been handed over to the US authorities that his family were informed of his detention.
They did not know he had been transferred to Guantánamo until six months after his arrest, when his wife received a letter via the ICRC.
Contact with the family has been intermittent, and letters that the family receive are generally heavily censored. The letters generally take around four months to arrive. Sami al Hajj’s brother told Amnesty International that they received only two letters last year. The same seems to be true in reverse. His brother sent a letter in 2003, but Sami al-Hajj was only allowed to read it in August 2005.
Sami al-Hajj has a five year old son, who he has not seen since he was one year old. As his brother said, "you can imagine how emotionally difficult it can be for a child for being so harshly deprived of the compassion and love of his dad".
The family have suffered financially as well as emotionally as a result of Sami al Hajj’s detention by the USA. Since his father became ill, Sami al-Hajj had been the major breadwinner for the family, his finding work with al-Jazeera a major boost for all the family. The family have also found it very difficult to cope with the continued reports of torture and ill-treatment at Guantánamo.
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