64 | Towards the Closure of Guantanamo basic aspects of their lives, such as not knowing whether or not they will be tried; whether they will be released and when; or whether they will see their family members again. This continuing state of suffering and uncertainty creates grave consequences such as stress, fear, depression, and anxiety, and affects the central nervous system as well as the cardiovascular and immunological systems. 152 The fate of Mr. Latif is an example of how indefinite detention, coupled with the application of solitary confinement, can lead to devastating consequences. 135. In relation to religion and the rights of persons deprived of liberty, the IACHR’s Principles provide that detainees shall have the right “to participate in religious and spiritual activities and to practice traditional rites.” Further, prisoners shall have the right to food “with due consideration to their cultural and religious concerns.”153 136. The Inter-American Commission considers that the conditions of confinement described above constitute a violation of the right to humane treatment. Further, in order to guarantee that prisoners’ rights are effectively protected in accordance with applicable international human rights standards, the State must ensure that all persons deprived of liberty have access to judicial remedies. 154 The IACHR notes with deep concern that prisoners at Guantanamo have been prevented from litigating any aspect of the conditions of their detention before federal courts, which constitutes per se a violation of one of their most fundamental human rights. This point, as well as some recent developments regarding this issue, will be assessed in the chapter on access to justice. Further, as it will be addressed below, detainees’ lack of legal protection and the resulting anguish caused by the uncertainty regarding their future has led them to take the extreme step of hunger strikes to demand changes in their situation. 3. Hunger strikes and forced feedings 137. In February 2013 a large group of detainees at Guantanamo Bay initiated a hunger strike to protest their state of indefinite detention and the conditions of confinement. Although the hunger strike received much public attention, there have been periodic large-scale hunger strikes over the years. Engaging in hunger strikes as a means of protest has been a common practice among Guantanamo detainees since the early years of Camp X-Ray. The first hunger strike reportedly took place in the beginning of February of 2002. An incident involving a Koran that was thrown on the floor during a cell search prompted a widespread hunger strike that lasted for approximately one week. A military officer who was at Guantanamo at that time recalls “some of the detainees being so weak they could not move and 152 153 154 IACHR, Press Release 29/13: IACHR, UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, UN Rapporteur on Torture, UN Rapporteur on Human Rights and Counter-Terrorism, and UN Rapporteur on Health Reiterate Need to End the Indefinite Detention of Individuals at Guantanamo Naval Base in Light of Current Human Rights Crisis, May 1, 2013. IACHR, Principles and Best Practices on the Protection of Persons Deprived of Liberty in the Americas, Principles XI and XXV, March, 2008. IACHR, Report on the Human Rights of Persons Deprived of Liberty in the Americas, OEA/Ser.L/V/II.Doc.64, December 31, 2011, para. 242. Organization of American States | OAS