Detainee at Guantanamo Bay challenges force-feeding procedures

In this photo reviewed by the U.S. military, dawn arrives at the now closed Camp X-Ray, which was used as the first detention facility for al Qaeda and Taliban militants who were captured after the Sept. 11 attacks at Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, Cuba, Nov. 21, 2013. (AP / Charles Dharapak)

WASHINGTON - A detainee at Guantanamo Bay is challenging force-feeding practices at the facility imposed on prisoners who go on hunger strikes.

In a court filing Tuesday, a 34-year-old Yemeni national who has been held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, since 2002 alleges that detainees have been force-fed up to a 1 gallon (nearly 4 litres) at a time of nutrient and water. Another detainee reported that feeding sessions have speeded up, compressed into as little as 20 minutes.

The filing by lawyers for Emad Abdullah Hassan follows a federal appeals court ruling last month that left the door open for detainees to go to court over confinement conditions.

At the Justice Department, spokeswoman Allison Price said the court filing is being reviewed.