During his first force-feeding sessions, he recalled in an interview, occasions where a nurse working for ICE “shoved the tube so hard” that “he tore my nose from the inside.” After such sessions “they would take me to solitary cell and I would just choke on my blood and drink the blood from inside [my throat],” he added. Many of his court records are sealed, so the Guardian is not able to corroborate some details in Choli’s account.

He did not have legal representation throughout the eight-month ordeal. The federal judge presiding over his case, Rolando Olvera, denied Choli’s request for legal assistance and extended the force-feeding order several times at ICE’s request, according to records filed in the southern district of Texas federal court.

Choli suffered injuries and medical complications, including swollen sinuses, damage to his esophagus and stomach problems, court records show.

This is torture.

Torture.