Mos Def Gets Force-Fed Like a Guantánamo Detainee

Warning: some viewers may find this video disturbing.

Guantánamo Bay currently houses 120 inmates who are on hunger strike. Of those 120, 44 are being force-fed. But what does the standard procedure of force-feeding look like at the infamous prison, where the vast majority of prisoners are held without charge or criminal trial? Yasiin Bey, formerly known as Mos Def, teamed up with a human rights organization called Reprieve to find out with the directions of a leaked military document that outlines exactly how to force-feed uncooperative hunger strikers.

The footage is raw and gut-wrenching, with Bey breaking down into tears at the end of the procedure, begging his handlers to let him go. But like Christopher Hitchens and his experience getting waterboarded according to Guantánamo Bay standards, Bey knew this was a one-time thing and he had the option to stop. For the 44 prisoners in Guantánamo Bay currently undergoing force-feeding procedures, there is no other option.