Fasting since July 7, 2013
Update: Palina has concluded her fast after realizing both web editors of CG.net can not be starving. She is thinking of becoming a raw vegan–a step down from fasting.
Palina Prasasouk is a thirty-three year old independent filmmaker/photographer, native of Falls Church, Virginia who currently resides in Des Moines, Iowa. She has worked with three-time Emmy winner and documentary director Linda Ellman (On Native Soil). She is one of the faces behind the CloseGitmo.net website and Witness Against Torture . Like many activists she is also an idealist INFP.
She attended her first fast in 2010 with Witness Against Torture in Washington D.C. where she went on to fast for a total of twenty days. She is also a former member of the Iowa Anti-torture Coalition. You can view videos from the weekly protests here. Most of her activism now takes place behind the scenes through a computer or a lens.
She will be observing Ramadan on a liquid only fast in solidarity with the Guantanamo Bay hunger strikers. You can follow her fast at http://palinaprasasouk.tumblr.com/.
Why I’m fasting:
“I never liked politics or even hearing political jokes. I still don’t, but have come to learn that politics and current events are completely unavoidable. After doing some research, I learned about covert wars, corrupt corporations, and stories of detainees being picked up for bounty. I just couldn’t go on enjoying my life knowing all this bullshit was happening under our noses. Guantanamo is a place people, thanks to Obama, thought was shut down. Stories of detainees both gone and currently locked up are so horrific they need to be heard. GTMO is also a place that people think they can not shut down, because of this I feel a greater responsibility on my shoulders.
I signed up for the WAT Rolling Fast on Sunday and decided to continue indefinitely. I would not call myself a “hunger striker” because I am free, the detainees are not. In retrospect, the detainees could end their hunger strike at anytime, but I feel this is their only option. It’s the last hunger strike.
This is a personal experience and a test of discipline that will hopefully, make me feel closer to the detainees. Something that won’t directly close down GTMO. I wanted to remain anonymous, but I might as well make something of it and use it as a gateway into conversations about the GTMO hunger strike which is now entering its fifth month. Though I am atheist and won’t be praying to Allah, I believe in humanity and solidarity. This is for Dilawar of Yakubi and Adnan Latif , the 86 men cleared for release, and the 157 that have not been charged.”
by 
Hunger Striker's Blog
U.S. Faster in Solidarity w/Gitmo & Pelican Bay Prisoners
Foreground: EMT prepares the tool for the nasal intubation. Background: U.S. Embassy, Buenos Aires, Argentina Middleground:...agony awaits.
The feeding demo is extremely painful, yet it is done with consent. The long-term solidarity fast continues with nasogastric nourishment in front of U.S. governmental symbols of power. The twice-daily force-feeding of Gitmo hunger strikers is nonconsensual and therefore real torture by the standards sponsored by U.S. taxpayers and authorized by members of Congress who just raised the debt ceiling to nearly $17 trillion. President Obama's actions continue to belie his empty words "Close Guantánamo." As Commander-in-Chief, he could easily order an end to what the Pentagon refuses to call "forced-feeding." The force-feeding is premeditated relentless forced penetration of plastic into their innermost sacred cavities !
Andrés Thomas Conteris - fasted on water and coconut water with vitamin and electrolyte supplements. Solidarity fast began July 8, 2013 with 30,000 hunger striking California prisoners urging fulfillment of 5 Core Demands of the Pelican Bay supermax prisoners. Force-feeding protests began Sept. 6 & Sept. 25 in front of the White House & later in front of the Oakland Office of CA Dept of Corrections and Rehab (CDCR) to depict how prisoners in Guantánamo are tortured with force-feeding twice-daily and how CA prisoners as future hunger strikers have been threatened with a court order authorizing force-feeding. On Oct 4 and Oct 8 he was tube-fed in front of the U.S. Embassies in Montevideo, Uruguay and Buenos Aires, Argentina. On Oct 15 a similar protest took place in Santiago, Chile. On Friday, Oct 18 the feeding protest returns to Washington, DC outside a Federal Court hearing on the lawsuit challenging force-feeding in Guantánamo. He is now on a maintenance fast losing about 1 pound per week, unlike the 5 pounds/week the first 11 weeks. In January 2014 with the anniversary of Guantánamo on Jan. 11, the force feeding protests will recommence. Please spread the word.
U.S. Hunger Strikers who have suspended their fast
Diane Wilson - Water only 58 days (lost 48 lbs). Diane, co-founder of CodePink and member of Veterans for Peace, suspended her hunger strike on June 27, 2013 after detention following her arrest for scaling the White House fence the day before. She faced a jury trial in DC District Court on Sept. 5th, 2013.
S. Brian Willson - Suspended Hunger Strike on June 10, 2013 after 31 days on 300cal/day, when a car accidentally hit him. Supporters continue a vigil with a rolling fast, in Portland, OR.
Elliott Adams - Went 80 days on 300 cal/day from May 18, to August 4, 2013 losing 45 lbs. He is past President of Veterans for Peace.
Tarak Kauff - Ended fast on August 4, 2013 after 58 days on 300 cal/day since June 7. He lost 29 lbs. On Board of Directors for Veterans for Peace.
Cynthia Papermaster - After 84 days on 300 cal/day, Cynthia suspended her hunger strike on Sep. 6 which began June 15, 2013. Code Pink member, lost 35 lbs. The transfer of two Algerian prisoners on Aug. 29, 2013, inspired her to suspend her fast.
Collaborative of CloseGitmo.net Organizations
- Campaign for Alternatives to
- Meta Peace Team: "Pursuing peace
- Metta Center for Nonviolence
- NRCAT
Daily Updates
- Articles: Guantánamo: Where Being Cleared for Release Means Nothing January 26, 2014
- Articles: Video: Washington D.C. Protest on the 12th Anniversary of the Opening of Guantánamo January 16, 2014
- Articles: Join Us in Washington D.C. on Jan. 11 to Tell President Obama, "Close Guantánamo Now!" January 6, 2014
