Three of the activists arrested before the NATO summit and charged with terrorism have been kept in "hospital-white" cells in solitary confinement since their arrest, say their lawyers.
The Sheriff holding them issued a statement saying that the three — charged with conspiracy, possession of explosives and material support for terrorism — have been held in a segregated solitary unit "so they could be monitored for several days to assess if they pose a risk to "harm themselves or anyone else."" That sounds awfully familiar.
From the Chicago Tribune:
Lawyers for three out-of-state men accused of plotting to firebomb police stations and other political targets during the NATO summit in Chicago complained Tuesday that their clients have been held in solitary confinement in Cook County Jail, calling their treatment "cruel and unusual."Michael Deutsch, an attorney for the National Lawyers Guild, said after a brief court hearing that the suspects, dubbed the "NATO 3" by supporters, have been held since Saturday in "hospital-white" cells 24 hours a day and not allowed to communicate with anyone."They are totally in isolation from everyone else in the jail and each other," Deutsch told reporters. "They have nothing to read. They have no writing material. It's a kind of sensory deprivation situation."
Numerous international bodies, medical experts and rights groups have condemned solitary confinement and likened it to torture.
Watch the video above, put together by the National Religious Campaign Against Torture, which demonstrates how prolonged solitary confinement constitutes cruel and unusual punishment.