Kurdish Detainee Says ICE Force-Feeding Left Him 'Mentally Broken'

A Kurdish filmmaker who spent eight months on

A Kurdish filmmaker who spent eight months on hunger strike in U.S. immigration custody is speaking publicly for the first time about the ordeal, describing how the forced feeding regimen inflicted deep physical and psychological wounds.

Gabar Choli, now living in Canada after his deportation, said he was subjected to the coercive procedure—condemned as torture by international human rights organizations—sometimes twice daily while held by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) following the denial of his asylum claim.

In an exclusive interview, Choli detailed the harrowing experience, recounting how the repeated intubations left him with chronic pain and a sense of profound violation. 'It mentally broke me,' he said, describing the feeling of helplessness as officials inserted feeding tubes against his will.

Choli, who was also an activist, said the

Choli, who was also an activist, said the hunger strike was a desperate protest against his detention and the looming threat of deportation to Iraq, where he feared persecution. But the force-feeding, he argued, was not a medical necessity but a punitive measure designed to break his resolve.

Medical experts and human rights advocates have long criticized ICE's practice of force-feeding hunger strikers, calling it a violation of medical ethics and a form of cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment. Choli's account adds a personal dimension to those concerns, highlighting the lasting trauma.

Now rebuilding his life in Canada, Choli hopes his story will draw attention to the plight of other detainees and push for policy changes. 'No one should have to go through this,' he said, urging U.S. authorities to reconsider their approach to hunger strikes in immigration custody.