66 | Towards the Closure of Guantanamo according to their religious beliefs, and that guards [had] been disrespectful during prayer times.” 158 The United States, however, believes that this was an organized act of asymmetrical warfare. 159 141. According to information provided by the U.S. Government, on April 13, 2013, the commander of the JTF-GTMO ordered the transition of detainees from communal to single-cell living at Camp 6. This was reportedly done “to ensure the health, security, order, and safety of detainees, for which around the clock monitoring is necessary, in response to efforts by detainees to limit the guard force’s ability to observe the detainees by covering surveillance cameras, windows, and glass partitions.” The Government asserts that the vast majority of detainees complied with the guards’ instructions but some detainees resisted with improvised weapons and, in response, four non-lethal rounds were fired. There were reportedly no serious injuries to guards or detainees. 160 142. The perspective of defense counsel, however, differs from that of the Government. They indicate that the response to the hunger strike was swift and severe and that a raid took place in Camps 5 and 6 in an effort by the military to regain control of the hunger strike. As a result, all the detainees in those camps, about three quarters of the detained population in Guantanamo, were reportedly put in single cell isolation with no human contact for 22 to 24 hours a day and force-fed. At the same time, all of their possessions, their legal and non-legal materials, were reportedly seized. 161 The military allegedly reinstituted a policy of genital searches any time a detainee left the camp, so if a detainee was going to make a phone call, meet with the ICRC or with counsel, he would have his genital area searched. This, according to defense counsel, was a form of religious discrimination and humiliation for the detainees. 162 143. Available information indicates that about 45 detainees were forcibly fed during the 2013 hunger strike. According to the United States Government, the Department of Defense supports “the preservation of life by appropriate clinical means, in a humane manner, and in accordance with all applicable laws and policies.” With regard to the forced feedings, the U.S. Government informed the IACHR that the overwhelming majority of detainees were cooperative throughout the procedure; that some individuals who were force-fed also consumed portions of their daily meals; and that the choice of solid food or supplement was always offered to the detainees. 163 In its response to this report, the U.S. Government pointed out that 158 159 160 161 162 163 Communication sent by the Center for Justice and International Law and the Center for Constitutional Rights in the context of precautionary measures 259-02 and 211-08, April 11, 2013, p. 3. IACHR’s Expert Meeting on the situation of detainees held at the U.S. Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay, Washington DC, October 3, 2013. Communication sent by the United States Government in the context of precautionary measures 259-02, July 11, 2013. IACHR’s Expert Meeting on the situation of detainees held at the U.S. Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay, Washington DC, October 3, 2013. IACHR’s Expert Meeting on the situation of detainees held at the U.S. Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay, Washington DC, October 3, 2013. Communication sent by the United States Government in the context of precautionary measures 259-02, July 11, 2013. Organization of American States | OAS