Juma Al-Dossary - Suicide Attempts

Suicide Attempts

A story published in the October 20, 2005, edition of the Gulf Daily News warned of various signs of Al Dossary's deteriorating mental health. The story was based on notes from Colangelo-Bryan, which US intelligence officials had declassified on October 19, 2005. According to Colangelo-Byran:

• Al Dossary had made earlier suicide attempts.
• Al Dossary said he was afraid he was losing his mind.
• Al Dossary reported that the lights were never turned off in his cell, and this interfered with his ability to sleep.
• Al Dossary reported that he knew he needed mental health care, but he didn't trust the camp medical staff.
• Al Dossary reports he has been suffering from seizures.
• Al Dossary reports that camp medical staff have withheld medical treatment from him in the past.
• Al Dossary reports that when he can fall asleep he awakes screaming, from nightmares.

According to a report in the Washington Post on November 1, 2005, Al Dossary attempted to commit suicide on October 15, whilst taking a washroom break during a visit by his lawyer, Joshua Colangelo-Bryan. Colangelo-Bryan described finding Al Dossary hanging unconscious from a noose in the washroom, with blood pouring from a large wound in his right arm. American authorities decline to comment on specific detainee's cases, but they have acknowledged that 22 detainees have made 36 suicide attempts.

Three of the attempted suicides have been successful.

Following his most recent suicide attempt Al Dossary's lawyers filed a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction on his behalf.

In the restraining order they requested:

• Reading material beyond a copy of the Qu'ran.
• Turning off the lights in his cell, to help make it possible for him to sleep.
• Biweekly telephone calls to his family and lawyers.
• Being allowed increased exercise time.
• Being allowed to receive mail from his family.

His lawyers requested that an independent medical professional be permitted to asses Al Dossary's mental state. They described the Americans' refusal to provide news of Al Dossary's health, following his recent suicide attempt, as "gratuitous callousness".

Al Dossary was reported to have had made another suicide attempt, on November 13, 2005, by ripping out his stitches. The Kansas City Star said that this was Al Dossary's ninth suicide attempt.

The Star quotes Colonel Michael Bumgarner, the camp guard commander, who wrote in an affidavit that Al Dossary's despair was his own fault, because Al Dossary had not claimed 73 of his last 97 exercise privileges. Further his interrogators had occasionally rewarded him with take out pizza, hamburgers, and had let him watch the movies Gladiator and Troy.

On May 11, 2006 the Gulf Daily News reported that Colangelo-Bryan said that al Dossary had tried to slit his throat in March.