Abu Hamza, the notorious hate preacher and convicted terrorist, has embarked on another hunger strike, claiming his treatment in an American prison is tantamount to torture. The 66-year-old, known for his hate-filled rhetoric and violent past, has made demands regarding his prison conditions, insisting on a larger cell and complaining about the quality of his current accommodations.
Hamza, whose imprisonment at Colorado’s ADX Florence — the “Alcatraz of the Rockies” — is notorious for housing dangerous criminals, went without food for weeks. The prison’s authorities eventually yielded to his demands after he staged his protest, which included multiple hunger strikes over the years. He now seeks his release based on claims of deteriorating health, which he says are exacerbated by the prison’s harsh conditions.
Court documents from the Southern District Court of New York reveal that Hamza’s complaints have been a recurring issue. His legal team submitted hundreds of pages of evidence, detailing his hunger strikes, including one that lasted seven weeks in 2019. Despite his history of disruptive behavior, the authorities attempted to accommodate him, but only after his protest gained attention.
“Notwithstanding an order from the warden on January 21, 2021… Mr. Mostafa began a hunger strike,” his lawyers explained. “After several weeks, the new warden spoke with him, and it was agreed that if he ended the hunger strike, he would be returned to cell 511.” These details underscore how the terrorist’s demands have been taken seriously by the prison staff.
Hamza’s protest is not new. In 2019, he faced a similar outcry, demanding better care. He claimed that his complaints about his living conditions led to him being force-fed and allegedly assaulted by prison staff. “They said they are going to strap me down ‘very tight to the force-feeding chair and don’t care if you defecate,’” he wrote in his correspondence. These statements have only fueled his lawyers’ claims that Hamza’s incarceration conditions amount to cruel and unusual punishment.
This ongoing saga has taken another turn with Hamza’s attorneys requesting his release due to his deteriorating health. Hamza, who has diabetes and is missing several teeth, also complains of improper medical care, including unaddressed toenail issues and the rejection of prosthetics for his amputated limbs. For twelve years, he has been confined to solitary under ‘special administrative measures,’ and his legal team argues that such conditions are tantamount to torture.
The defense team paints a grim picture of his health and treatment in U.S. custody, arguing that he should have been transferred to a Federal Medical Centre to receive adequate care. “Taken as a whole, the conditions forced upon Mr. Mostafa are equivalent to torture and have no place in our system of justice,” they argue. “Since ADX Florence has proven that it cannot accommodate Mr. Mostafa’s medical needs, he should have long ago been redesignated to a Federal Medical Centre.”
Hamza’s legal team also accuses the U.S. government of misleading British authorities during his extradition. They argue that the American prison system’s failure to provide adequate care constitutes grounds for a reduced sentence or his immediate release. Their argument focuses on the “cruel and unusual punishment” that they say he has endured for over a decade.
Hamza’s conviction in 2015 stemmed from his role in the 1998 kidnapping of 16 foreign tourists in Yemen, four of whom were killed. Additionally, he was found guilty of conspiring to set up a militant training camp in Oregon in 1999 and of supporting terrorist organizations, including Al-Qaeda. At sentencing, the judge made it clear that Hamza would spend the rest of his life behind bars. However, his current legal strategy is an attempt to challenge that verdict based on his alleged mistreatment in prison.
In light of Hamza’s ongoing protests and the attention they’ve garnered, it remains to be seen how the legal system will respond. His demands for better treatment and eventual release have sparked debate about the balance between prisoner rights and the severity of his crimes.
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