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American Morning

Number of Striking Detainees Drops

Aired March 01, 2002 - 09:39   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: This morning, bowls of Fruit Loops and bagels may be providing to be too tempting for some al Qaeda and Taliban detainees in Cuba. A number of prisoners at Camp X-ray began a hunger strike earlier this week after a turban fashioned out of a sheet was taken away from one of the captives. But now, the number participating in the protest, once as high as about 200, has fallen below 80.

And CNN National Correspondent Bob Franken joins us now from Cuba with the latest on that -- good morning, Bob.

BOB FRANKEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Paula.

You're right. It is 73 this morning who said they would not take breakfast. Things are quiet know at Camp X-ray. It was as high as 194 at noon, but more and more are taking their meals. As you pointed out, this had to do with a fight over a turban and charges of religious insensitivity on the part of the camp guards. Turbans were forbidden.

On Tuesday, when a guard ordered repeatedly one of the detainees to take the one off that he had fashioned out of a bed sheet, he seemed to be ignoring the guard, so in went the guards into the cell. Shackled, shacked the detainee only to find out he was in the middle of prayer, which sometimes requires entire focus in the Muslim world.

That caused the protest to begin. You are seeing the end of it. We watched last night as many of the detainees, as sign of victory put turbans on, and that was because the general of the camp, the commander, who is Brig. Gen. Michael Lehnert, came, spoke to the detainees, agreed they could wear turbans if they wanted, but at they would have to allow them to inspect them. The problem was that things could be hidden in them. So, things have gotten a little bit back to normal.

There was a protest yesterday morning. A protest that lasted about a half hour, with detainees were chanting, yelling. Sliding their bedding out of their cells. Bad enough that there was a security perimeter set up, by which I mean, guards went out with their machine guns pointed at the camp.

Things have quieted down. The hunger strike seems to be having been averted now. They will not have to put in a plan, it sounds like, at least they are not contemplating one, where there would not be any allowance for somebody to become a martyr and starve themselves to death. Finally, there would be a forced IV if everything else had failed -- Paula.

ZAHN: All right. Thanks so much for updating us on that story. Bob Franken joining us from Cuba this morning. Bob once again confirming that the protesters are now down to about the number of 73.

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