'Nearly 2 dozen prisoners tried to kill themselves in Guantanamo'
Pakistan Times Wire Service

WASHINGTON: The three prisoners found dead at the Guantanamo prison camp were the first to succeed in committing suicide, but nearly two dozen others have tried to kill themselves behind the razor-wire fences at the remote U.S. naval base in southeast Cuba.

Earlier 23 prisoners had tried to kill themselves 41 times at the camp, which holds about 460 foreign terrorism suspects, military officials said.

That number did not include hundreds of what military officials called "self-harm incidents" and "hanging gestures," where detainees cut themselves deliberately or wrapped bedding around their necks in what Guantanamo officials said were attempts to gain attention or express frustration without actually trying to cause death.

Foreign governments, including U.S. allies, and human rights groups have criticized the indefinite detentions and the prisoners' lack of legal rights at Guantanamo.

The Pentagon insists the detainees are treated humanely.●