Former Gitmo Prisoner on Hunger Strike to Reunite With Family

Former Guantanamo detainee, Syrian Jihad Ahmad Deyab, does not intend to end his hunger strike until he is reunited with his family, a source close to the prisoner told Sputnik.

MONTEVIDEO (Sputnik) – Deyab "has been on a hunger strike for 17 days and will continue with it until he can travel to an Arab country and meet with his family," the source, who requested anonymity, said on Wednesday.

Jihad Deyab, 45, has spent over 12 years in the US Guantanamo Bay prison camp, but was never charged with a crime. He enjoys a refugee status granted by the Uruguayan government.

He has been residing in Uruguay since he was released from the Guantanamo in December 2014.

In July, Deyab was detained by the Venezuelan security service in Caracas. He was reportedly intercepted after he left the Uruguayan consulate in the Venezuelan capital, where he had asked diplomats to help him travel to Turkey and reunite with his wife and three children. Deyab was then deported from Venezuela to Uruguay where he arrived earlier this week.