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Some 175 detainees at the Queens Detention Center near JFK
airport in New York ended a hunger strike on the night of Aug. 19
after guards harassed detainees and threatened retaliation.
Authorities also tried unsuccessfully to force detainees to sign
documents. Authorities came down especially hard on Indian
national Makhan Singh, who had spoken to the press about
conditions at the prison. Guards put Singh into solitary
confinement and are threatening him with deportation or transfer
to another prison far from his family. More than 80% of the male
detainees at the facility participated in the hunger strike,
which began on Aug. 16 [see INB 8/21/04]. The detention center is
run by the GEO Group Inc. (formerly Wackenhut Corrections Corp.).
[Coney Island Avenue Project Press Release 8/20/04]