Detainees locked away in Guantanamo Bay apparently like to pass the time by throwing a “cocktail” of feces, urine, sperm, and vomit at guards on an almost daily basis, Marine Gen. John Kelly of U.S. Southern Command informed the Senate Armed Services Committee on Thursday.
At first, it was unclear what Kelly actually meant, since at the hearing he stuck to the more polite euphemism of “splashing” as a catch-all term to describe the unpleasant elements prisoners routinely chuck at guards, Military.com reports. And when they have the chance, prisoners will try to knee guards in the groin.
Kelly clarified his remarks in a later briefing at the Pentagon, fleshing out the concept of splashing to include bodily fluids from the detainees, which confirms Guantanamo Commander Army Col. David Heath’s account of the situation. Heath told Agence France-Press in November of last year that “in the last four months [splashing] happens probably once a day.”
A report from CNN back in 2013 stated that the practice of splashing isn’t at all new. Cell doors even have “splash boxes” in an attempt to minimize the amount of waste detainees can throw at guards. Prisoners regularly abuse guards in this manner—especially female guards. One guard told CNN that prisoners called her a “bitch,” a “slut,” and a “whore.”
In the face of abuse against female guards, the Guantanamo Bay military court in November of last year still decided to cede to the demands of inmates. The court issued an order barring female guards from touching the inmates, after several Muslims argued that contact with females violates their religious beliefs. This order has recently been challenged by prosecutor and Army Lt. Col. David Long, who pointed out that the order is a clear-cut case of gender discrimination. Moreover, according to David Long, what the order also signals that prisoners control prison policies.
Republican Sen. Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire on Thursday told John Kelly that “when the 9/11 attackers don’t want women guarding them, it’s absurd.”
A total of 122 prisoners are left in Guantanamo Bay, and 55 of the total have been cleared for release. A report from the Director of National Intelligence noted that if more prisoners are released, more terror will follow, based on alarmingly high recidivism rates. (RELATED: DNI Report: The Numbers Don’t Lie, More Gitmo Releases Equal More Terror)
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