Guantanamo Bay Hunger Strike Declared Over

Numbers have significantly dropped, according to government

WASHINGTON — The military on Monday effectively pronounced the end of a mass hunger strike among detainees at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba — a six-month protest that at one point swept through a majority of the inmate population, refocused global attention on the prison, and pushed the Obama administration to revive the stagnated effort to shutter it.

In a statement and an interview, a prison spokesman, Lt. Col. Samuel House, said on Monday that the military would no longer issue daily updates on the number of inmates participating in the protest, eligible for force-feeding or hospitalized, as had been its practice over the past few months, because the participation has fallen away from its peak two months ago.

"Following July 10, 2013, the number of hunger strikers has dropped significantly, and we believe today's numbers represent those who wish to continue to strike," he said. "As always, our medical professionals will continue to monitor and evaluate the detainees while providing them with the appropriate level of care. From this point forward we will respond to queries on hunger strikes individually."