Hunger-Striking Terrorists

It was reported last October that human rights activists filed suit against the U.S. government for inappropriately force-feeding hunger-striking detainees at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Their primary complaint was an allegation that feeding tubes were inserted without anesthesia or sedatives.

Ruling on the case, District Court Judge Gladys Kessler ordered the U.S. government to provide notification to detainees' defense lawyers within 24 hours of force-feeding and to hand over the detainees' medical records weekly. Judge Kessler considered that no sedatives being used during force-feeding to be "deeply troubling."

"If the allegations are true - and they are all explicitly, specifically and vigorously denied by the government - they describe the conduct of which the United States can hardly be proud," the judge wrote.

Evidently, insertion of feeding tubes without sedatives besmirches America's pride and the circumstance will be corrected by her ruling that activist lawyers be given notifications and the detainees' medical records.

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Okay, now march forward about six weeks for this news from Russia.

From Mosnews.com:

Seven men, jailed in Russian's central republic of Bashkortostan in August accused of membership in the Hizb ut-Tahrir Islamic organisation, are on hunger strike in protest at their conviction, the Memorial rights group said, the AFP news agency reports.

"The first reports of the hunger strike came on Monday, November 28. Local rights activists quote a note which one of the inmates managed to get out -- 'November 21, 2005 in the name of Allah we are starting a hunger strike as protest against our illegal conviction on faked charges'," the Memorial group said in a statement late Thursday.

Wait a minute. They say they're innocent, so where are their activist human rights lawyers? And, there must be al least one judge to rule for Russia's pride?

A total of nine people were found guilty of charges that included terrorist activity, organising a criminal group and inciting religious hatred, but they denied the charges, only admitting to carrying out propaganda work with the help of educational literature.

Russia's supreme court left the sentence in force after considering an appeal earlier in November.

Russian human rights groups have accused the authorities of a concerted campaign against Muslims, particularly as the armed forces have become bogged down in fighting Muslim separatists in Chechnya.

Campaign against Muslims? Wait, wouldn't that be -- uh -- profiling?

I'm shocked! And I beseech each and every activist human rights lawyer to stop what you're doing and immediately book the next flight to Bashkortostan to get involved and help the jailed Muslims get adequately force-fed under proper anesthesia. Demand that a judge direct the Russian government to be kinder to the prisoners. Demand to see the prisoners' medical records and demand that notifications be provided within 24 hours of any force-feeding. When that's all done, organize a public protest demanding the end of the racist profiling campaign against Muslims.

You are human rights activists, dammit! Stand up for those poor souls in Bashkortostan. Ask Jimmy Carter and Harry Belafonte to help spearhead the effort. And George Galloway. Maybe some Congressional Democrats would pitch in. I'm thinking of John Kerry, Barbara Lee, Cynthia McKinney and Dick Durbin since they have previously expressed outrage at torturous treatment of prisoners. Get them to help.

Remember, it's not just about human rights, the pride of Russia is also at stake.