In protest to the force-feeding of prisoners during Ramadan at Guantanamo Bay, rapper/actor/activist Yasiin Bey receives an excruciatingly painful medical procedure. This mechanism of force-feeding, in which a feeding tube is shoved up the individuals nose, has been controversially practiced on hunger strike participants at the notorious prison.
The introduction notes that of the current 120 prisoners at Guatonemo Bay, 44 are being force-fed daily. In the disturbing video, Bey squirms, cries, and moans as the tube is shoved up his right nostril. He pleads for the conductors of the procedure to stop. Only when he assures them "this is me," that he truly wanted to conclude the demonstration, do they finally stop. The video lasts all of four minutes and may be hard for most to watch. It is noted in the clip that will the few minutes of force feeding were literally unbearable for Bey, most prisoners face the procedure twice a day for two hours each time.
The activist, formerly known as Most Def, describes the feeling as a burning sensation that he felt in the back of his throat and even his brain.
The demonstration was conducted in part with the Stand for Justice Campaign. According to The Huffington Post, the footage was released to The Guardian by British human rights group, Reprieve.
The Washington Post reports that the prisoner's lawyers have asked the federal courts to seize the practice of force feeding, claiming it evades their religious rights by preventing the fasting of Ramadan. Lawyers from the Justice Department refute the argument, staying last week that the process is a humane way to prevent detainees from starving to death.
The Post notes that this is not the 39-year-olds first bout of activism. Like fellow rapper Kanye West, he criticized the federal government's response to Hurricane Katrina.
Do you think the video is an unapologetic and selfless effort to portray the horror faced by foreign prisoners or an over-the-top performance in order to obtain a preferred reaction?