S militarys guantanamo bay detention center is held without charges for over a decade and seeks help from a defense attorney for his release. Mohamedou ould slahi was released one year ago from the prison at guantanamo bay, after 14 years without charge or trial. Oct 17, 2016 the author of an internationally bestselling memoir about life in guantanamo bay has been released after enduring 14 years and severe torture at the us detention center mohamedou ould slahi. Three years into his captivity slahi began a diary, recounting his life before he disappeared into u. Guantanamo diary forces us to consider why the united states has set aside the cherished idea that a timely. Everyone should read guantanamo diary just by virtue of having been written inside guantanamo, slahi s book would be a triumph of humanity over chaos. But guantanamo diary turns out to be especially human. Philippe sands qc is professor of law at university college london and. Slahi is still living in the same rooma small, freestanding prison hutin which he wrote guantanamo diary, in 2005, before passing it to his lawyers. This week, the bestselling memoir he wrote from prison was rereleased with the u.
Slahi has been at guantanamo, he has never had a single disciplinary infraction. A guantanamo guard and his detainee reunite former guantanamo guard steve wood recently took a trip to mauritania to visit mohamedou ould slahi, the prisoner he watched for almost a. A guantanamo detainee endures a hellish ordeal in this riveting prison diary. Mohamedou ould slahi s demand for simple justice should be.
Despite being advertised as a diary, however, it has undergone redaction from american government officials. Reading mohamedou ould slahi s guantanamo diary, you quickly realise that this is not a normal book. Guantanamo diary isbn 9780316328609 pdf epub larry siems. Mohamedou slahi has been imprisoned at the detainee camp at guantanamo bay, cuba since 2002. How guantanamo diary escaped the black hole and got past the. Oct 17, 2016 after spending 14 years in guantanamo bay, guantanamo diary author mohamedou slahi has been released to his native mauritania. Three years into his captivity, slahi began a diary, recounting his life before he left his home and disappeared into u.
The new edition, with redactions filled in and a beautiful new introduction by mohamedou, at last brings his full ordeal in u. One fall day years ago mohamedou ould slahi, a 30yearold electrical engineer. His diary is not merely a vivid record of a miscarriage of justice, but a deeply personal memoir terrifying, darkly humorous, and surprisingly gracious. Many of the words, sentences and pages have been redacted with thick, black bars. Thirteen years after the spectacle of men arriving at guantanamo first transfixed gazes around the world, a literary voice has finally bypassed the shackles, blindfolds, and muzzles to reach us. John le carre anyone who reads guantanamo diary and anyone with a shred of conscience should do so, now will be ashamed and appalled. In all these years, the united states has never charged him with a crime. This site uses cookies to deliver our services, improve performance, for analytics, and if not signed in for advertising. Oct 23, 2017 mohamedou ould slahi was released one year ago from the prison at guantanamo bay, after 14 years without charge or trial. Learn about new offers and get more deals by joining our newsletter. Mohamedou ould slahis guantanamo diary is the only text from a current detainee that provides a firstperson account of his interrogations and interactions with health professionals.
But censorship is only one part of this system, and the greatest victims are not. My lawyers had shown me photographs of the book on the shelves of bookstores in several cities and languages, and they were able to bring me a photocopy of my text, with all of the. From the 2016 tucson festival of books, theresa duncan, counsel to mohamedou ould slahi, a prisoner at guantanamo bay, talks about her clients life in the prison and his book, guantanamo diary. Jan 31, 2015 the first word of guantanamo diary is a black bar the book, in which guantanamo detainee mohamedou ould slahi tells of his odyssey through overseas prisons and his torture and abuse by the us. Feb, 2015 guantanamo diary, mohamedou ould slahis extraordinary account of rendition, captivity and torture reveals, more vividly than any book in the previous decade of shockandawe ferocity, how he. Feb 15, 2015 guantanamo diary is the most profound account yet written of what it is like to be that collateral damage. Guantanamo diary by mohamedou ould slahi since 2002, mohamedou ould slahi has been imprisoned at guantanamo bay. A delegation from the international committee of the red cross that visited in september. View of teaching mohamedou ould slahis guantanamo diary in. He explains why that is in his book, guantanamo diary, which was published in january 2015, and is attached as. Bestselling author pleads to be freed from guantanamo. Parallels in the first memoir from a prisoner still being held at guantanamo, mohamedou ould slahi tells how he went from his native. Guantanamo diary author mohamedou slahi freed cnnpolitics.
Slahi while in guantanamo, i would be pleased to welcome him into my home. The film will be an adaption of a new york times bestselling memoir written by mohamedou ould slahi during his imprisonment, called guantanamo diary. Slahi, an electrical engineer, was arrested in his native mauritania in 2001 at the behest of the u. My guantanamo diary, uncensored american civil liberties. In the desperate days after 911 us officials saw in the mauritanian not a suspect but a confirmed terrorist. Releases mohamedou ould slahi, author of guantanamo diary. Releases mohamedou ould slahi, author of guantanamo diary mohamedou ould slahi has been held at the u.
Guantanamo diary the fully restored text by mohamedou ould. When slahi quotes the language inflicted upon him by interrogators and guards at gtmo, it is obvious that the same debasement of english occurred there. Teaching mohamedou ould slahis guantanamo diary in the human rights and literature classroom. Releases mohamedou ould slahi, author of guantanamo. One mans account of rendition, torture and detention without charge at the hands of the us. Nation, narration, and health in mohamedou ould slahis. Since 2002, mohamedou slahi has been imprisoned at the detention camp at guanta. Review of guantanamo diary 2 flash qfiasco debased, permeated with malice and insult. Reading mohamedou ould slahis guantanamo diary, you quickly realise that this is not a normal book. The book chronicles his journey from voluntarily driving over to the police station in his native mauritania for questioning in 2001, and the u. Guantanamo detainee mohamedou ould slahi cant have a copy. Guantanamo diary, by mohamedou ould slahi the new york times. This memoir tells the story of mohamedou ould slahi, a multilingual, internationally educated mauritanian man who was suspected of terrorism and detained by the u.
Slahi emerges from the pages of his diary, handwritten in 2005, as a curious and generous personality, observant, witty and devout, but by no means fanatical. Guantanamo diary by mohamedou ould slahi, larry siems. Guantanamo diary by mohamedou ould slahi the new york times. Steve kroft, correspondent for 60 minutes anyone who reads guantanamo diary and every american with a shred of conscience should do so, now will be ashamed and appalled. Mohamedou slahi at the desk where he used to sit in high school. On october 16, 2017, the first anniversary of mohamedou ould slahi s release, hachette u. Apr 30, 20 mohamedou ould slahi voluntarily turned himself in for questioning to police in his native mauritania on nov.
Slahi s bestselling book guantanamo diary recounts his interrogations and alleged torture. Guantanamo diary author mohamedou ould slahi freed after 14. Although he was ordered released by a federal judge, the u. Since 2002, mohamedou slahi has been imprisoned at the detention camp at guantanamo bay, cuba. Yahdih ould slahi displays redacted passages from the diary of his brother, mohamedou ould slahi, who has been held since 2002 at guantanamo. The memoir, written by slahi, is edited and formatted by editor larry siems. Jan 23, 2015 guantanamo diary, by mohamedou ould slahi, edited by larry siems, canongate, rrp. Anyone who reads guantanamo diary and every american with a shred of conscience should do so, now will be ashamed and appalled. Guantanamo diary, by mohamedou ould slahi financial times. Slahi has made clear in everything he has written that he has no animosity to anyone as a result of his incarceration.
Jan 20, 2015 guantanamo diary by mohamedou ould slahi and larry siems editor is a very thoughtprovoking and disturbing book. My guantanamo diary, uncensored american civil liberties union. After spending 14 years in guantanamo bay, guantanamo diary author mohamedou slahi has been released to his native mauritania. With shailene woodley, zachary levi, benedict cumberbatch, jodie foster. Mohamedou ould slahi, author of guantanamo diary, might. Mohamedou ould slahi, a detainee since 2002, publishes his diary of the brutal conditions at guantanamo. Pdf teaching mohamedou ould slahis guantanamo diary in the. Guantanamo diary by mohamedou ould slahi and larry siems editor is a very thoughtprovoking and disturbing book.
Mohamedou ould slahis unflinching account of his fourteen years of detention without charge in guantanamo bay. This is an incredible document, and a hell of a story. While jodie foster and shailene woodley feature in the film, other amazing actors include benedict cumberbatch, zachary levi and tahar rahim who will play mohamedou ould slahi. Although never charged with a crime and ordered released by a federal judge, he remains imprisoned. Slahi wrote a memoir in 2005 while imprisoned, which the u. The 400plus page memoir was written by mohamedou ould slahi, a man from mauritania who has been held in the prison since 2002. Little, brown, 2015, 314, further citations in text. If i wanted to, i could put my pen down right now, close my office door behind me, and go for a long walk outside. Two producers behind paul greengrass united 93 and green zone have optioned rights to mohamedou ould slahi s memoir guantanamo diary. Mohamedou slahi has been imprisoned at the detainee camp at guanta. Mohamedou ould slahis 2015 guantanamo diary has received extensive attention in the media and.
In autumn 2003, soon after his false rendition, slahi was moved to a blackedout isolation cell built specifically for his interrogation. Pdf this essay provides a case study of slahis guantanamo diary in order to demonstrate how a literary approach to contribute to the study. Mohamedou ould slahi s demand for simple justice should be our call to action. Guantanamo diary the fully restored text by mohamedou ould slahi, larry siems paperback 9781786891853 published by canongate 17 october 2017. Jan 20, 2015 a guantanamo diary from a prisoner still on the inside. The international bestseller that set the world on fire, told in full for the first time.