Chapter 2 Evolution of the IACHR initiatives on Guantanamo | 35 61. to immediately close the detention facility, the conditions of detention, and the forced transfer of Guantanamo detainees. 37 Press Release 29/13 on the indefinite detention of individuals at Guantanamo was the first statement ever made by the IACHR with four United Nations mandate holders. This joint statement calling on the U.S. Government to respect and guarantee the life, health and personal integrity of detainees was issued as a response to the human rights crisis caused by the hunger strike initiated in February 2013 by a group of detainees. 38 H. Expert meeting 62. As noted in paragraph 7, on October 3, 2013, the Inter-American Commission organized an expert meeting on the situation of detainees held at Guantanamo Bay in order to receive specialized input for the preparation of the present report. This high level meeting, held at the Commission’s headquarters in Washington D.C., was attended by eleven experts from different backgrounds, including Clifford M. Sloan, at the time Special Envoy for Guantanao Closure at the U.S. Department of State. The meeting provided the Commission with valuable information and allowed it to view the matter under consideration from multiple perspectives. 37 See IACHR, Decisions regarding the U.S. Detention Center in Guantanamo, Press Releases. Available at: http://www.oas.org/en/iachr/pdl/decisions/Guantanamo.asp#Comunicados 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. Available at: http://www.oas.org/en/iachr/media_center/PReleases/2013/029.asp 38 Inter-American Commission on Human Rights | IACHR