It's right that the international medical community should be outraged by the unethical activities reportedly taking place at the Guantánamo Bay detention centre (Report, 12 June). Force-feeding of competent adults who are involved in a voluntary hunger strike violates international standards of medical ethics, as set out in the World Medical Association's Declaration of Malta. The BMA is deeply concerned by the reported involvement of doctors in these practices. Doctors and other medical staff should be restricted to providing consensual care to inmates in accordance with internationally recognised ethical codes. The primary obligation of doctors is to the wellbeing of patients, and medical staff must not become punitive agents of the state. The US Defence Department should immediately suspend any medical involvement in force-feeding practices it has sanctioned and institute an urgent inquiry into how this situation was allowed to develop in the first place.
Professor Vivienne Nathanson
Head of science and ethics, BMA
• Every day while parliament is in session, the Save Shaker Aamer Campaign maintains a vigil to demand action by the government to bring Shaker home. We are there in solidarity with the hunger strike in Guantánamo and to demand that President Obama fulfils his pledge to close this evil prison. With amazing dignity, Shaker Aamer has stated that it is wrong to keep him isolated, when he was cleared for release from Guantánamo six years ago (Comment, 15 June). Shaker is determined to stay on hunger strike until he gets justice. So, what better chance of action than the G8 summit.Next week, when David Cameron and Barack Obama take time-out for a cosy chat away from the eyes of the world, it would be easy for them to make injustice history for at least this one man.
Joy Hurcombe
Chair, Save Shaker Aamer Campaign