Guantanamo Bay hunger strike: 21 prisoners not eating

Demonstrators, dressed as detainees, protest against the U.S. military detention facility in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, in front of the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, Friday, Jan. 11, 2013. (AP / Evan Vucci)

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico -- A Guantanamo Bay prison spokesman says 21 men are on hunger strike in a widening protest at the U.S. base in Cuba.

Navy Capt. Robert Durand says eight men are being fed with a liquid nutrient mix to prevent dangerous weight loss. Two men are at the prison hospital being treated for dehydration. The military says none are in immediate danger from the strike.

Lawyers for prisoners say the men are protesting their indefinite confinement and what they consider intrusive searches of their Qurans.

Durand said previously that only a handful of prisoners met the military definition of hunger strike, which includes missing nine consecutive meals. The number grew to 14 on Friday and reached 21 on Monday. Lawyers say the strike is more widespread than the military acknowledges.