Guantánamo Diary

How much abuse can the human spirit endure before breaking? Mohamedou Ould Slahi’s gripping narrative sheds light on the dark recesses of Guantánamo Bay and reminds us of the human cost of cruelty.

1. An Innocent Man’s Journey into Guantánamo Bay

Slahi’s story begins with his arrest in 2000 in Senegal and paints the picture of a man trapped by circumstances and suspicion. Born in Mauritania, he had briefly aligned with al-Qaeda in the early 1990s during their anti-communist efforts but had severed ties years before his arrest. Despite his innocence, his association with a Montreal Mosque frequented by Ahmed Ressam drew the eyes of American authorities, connecting him to Ressam’s failed 1999 Millennium Plot to bomb Los Angeles.

Traveling from Canada to Senegal, Slahi was intercepted and interrogated about his alleged links to Ressam. Despite maintaining his innocence, he was handed over to US custody. His traumatic journey only worsened as he moved from Senegal to Mauritania and then to Jordan, accused at every turn of terrorism without substantial proof.

This initial sequence of events represents the domino effect of highly circumstantial evidence fueling ongoing suspicion. Slahi’s story exemplifies how guilt by association can spiral out of control, with devastating consequences for an innocent individual.

Examples

• Slahi’s attendance at a mosque in Montreal tied him to someone believed to be involved in the Millennium Plot.
• His phone calls from Canada discussing simple words like "tea" and "sugar" were misconstrued as terror codes.
• Despite no evidence, American authorities forcibly transported him to Mauritania and later Jordan for further questioning.

2. Endless Interrogations and Injustice

Upon arriving in Jordan, the abusive interrogation techniques began in earnest. Interrogators demanded that Slahi confess to crimes and cooked up false narratives of coded conversations from his private calls. As an innocent man unfamiliar with such crimes, Slahi had little to offer apart from denials.

The interrogators used threats of torture and isolation, taking advantage of his separation from family and his uncertainty about his future. They even accused him of calling places he’d never contacted, such as the United Arab Emirates. Instead of seeking truth, they sought compliance.

These interrogations exemplify how twisted methods of gathering intelligence can destroy individuals. Rather than relying on evidence, the system used coercion and fabricated accusations to build a case, all at the expense of the suspect’s humanity.

Examples

• His interrogation included water deprivation, where he was denied water entirely until the session ended.
• Slahi had to provide plausible explanations for normal conversations, such as advising his brother to do well in school.
• Jordanian jailers threatened him with violence and prevented his family from even knowing his whereabouts.

3. The Jordanian Ordeal that Led to Guantánamo

The eight months Slahi spent in Jordan set the stage for what awaited him in Guantánamo Bay. He was blindfolded, shackled, and transported to Cuba under US orders. The secrecy surrounding his transfer and his family’s inability to trace his whereabouts gave his captors total control.

In Jordan, detainees reportedly faced horrendous torture, including being hung by their limbs and beaten for hours. Slahi heard the screams of other prisoners, a grim reminder of what awaited him if he didn’t "cooperate." The psychological torment, combined with the physical abuse, broke his peace of mind.

Such experiences highlight how cycles of cruelty dehumanize detainees even before they reach their final destination. The harm is systemic, fueled by secrecy and unchecked use of power.

Examples

• Blindfolded and beaten by Jordanian prison guards based on US instructions.
• Transfer to Guantánamo happened secretly, away from family knowledge, leaving loved ones in the dark for over a year.
• Verbal threats to send him to countries infamous for even harsher torture, amplifying his mental distress.

4. Guantánamo Bay: A New Level of Suffering

Arriving at Guantánamo in 2002 as inmate ##760, Slahi entered a brutal chapter of his ordeal. Under Donald Rumsfeld's Special Interrogation Plan, detainees faced terrifying treatment aimed at extracting confessions. Slahi experienced psychological games where interrogators forged letters pretending to be his family, deepening his despair.

While Slahi had been exposed to trauma in Jordan, Guantánamo’s systematic cruelty redefined the scale of torment. He suffered sexual abuse, physical forced postures that targeted his sciatic nerves, and prolonged isolation that left him utterly alone.

This scenario reveals Guantánamo as a world governed by unchecked inhumanity sanctioned by the highest government levels, further proving the unchecked powers of wartime detention.

Examples

• Guards staged fake messages from his family to manipulate him emotionally.
• Long hours of forced standing and hunching caused recurring physical pain.
• Interrogation teams rotated to keep questioning going 20–24 hours uninterrupted.

5. Authorized Torture and “Breaking” Detainees

Under the guise of Special Interrogation Plans, authorities used cruel tactics designed to physically and mentally shatter detainees. Slahi endured prolonged sleep deprivation ensured by forcing him to overconsume water, making uninterrupted rest impossible. He also faced continual verbal assaults, many specifically designed to break familial bonds.

The techniques served one purpose: to make detainees say anything to stop the torture. Victims often produced confessions filled with fantastical or outright false claims of plots and conspiracies.

This chapter underscores the ethical bankruptcy of extracting coerced confessions instead of genuine information, and reflects the hollow victories for interrogators under such practices.

Examples

• Doctors treated Slahi’s deteriorating physical state, not to heal him, but to make him well enough for further interrogations.
• Confessions included fictional plots such as planning to bomb Toronto's CN Tower.
• Guards whispered fabricated accusations through air ducts to intensify Slahi’s paranoia and fear.

6. Dehumanization Through Assaults on Faith and Identity

At Guantánamo, one of the most personal attacks on Slahi was the abuse of his Muslim faith. Guards mocked his prayers and punished him for engaging in religious worship. This spiritual mutilation exacerbated the dehumanization he already faced.

These tactics stripped detainees of personal dignity and attacked their inner identity. The loss caused by the forced erosion of spirituality deeply hurt morale, turning Guantánamo from merely a physical prison into one of psychological agony.

Examples

• Slahi was routinely denied proper spaces or times for prayer.
• His interrogators deliberately used sexual humiliation to taunt his religious morality.
• Religious texts were withheld to deprive him of spiritual consolation.

7. Lies, Gaslighting, and Manipulation

Psychological manipulation was a mainstay of the Guantánamo regime. Slahi’s captors forged correspondence, impersonating his family and fake judges. By planting seeds of uncertainty, they isolated him emotionally from both his defense network and any sense of normality.

Depriving detainees of consistent reality creates a psychological vacuum of control. Slahi’s story portrays how lies corrode individual sanity and turn detention into an existential battle.

Examples

• His interrogators pretended to send him to Egypt, increasing his fear.
• Forged familial letters painted him as abandoned, impacting morale.
• Fake journalists approached him under false pretenses of interviews.

8. Improved Conditions Intertwined with Continued Detention

After confessing under duress in 2003, Slahi saw marginal improvements in living conditions: better food, some reading material, and occasional recreation such as movie viewing. These niceties were mere distractions from his underlying captivity. His freedom, the ultimate desire, remained unaddressed.

The provision of small comforts is counterbalanced by the reality that they mask injustice. It also raises ethical questions about trafficking in human rights by conditioning privileges.

Examples

• Allowed copies of mainstream books like “The Catcher in the Rye.”
• Shared historical tales during movie sessions with guards.
• Kept isolated from real-world developments about his case.

9. Still Behind Bars Despite Legal Protections

Despite winning a habeas corpus petition in 2010, political maneuvers kept Slahi detained. The US Supreme Court’s Boumediene v. Bush set legal precedents affirming detainees' rights. But administrative processes blocked speedy implementation, leaving Slahi languishing.

Slahi’s detention represents systemic failings in balancing security with human liberty.

Examples

• Legal victories were overshadowed by Federal Appeals Court reversals.
• Administrative tactics delayed rulings despite court orders to release detainees.
• High-profile detainment situations prevented criticism due to geopolitics.

Takeaways

1. Question government actions, even under the banner of national security, by advocating for transparency and accountability.
2. Support organizations exposing human rights abuses to bring international focus to Guantánamo-like systems globally.
3. Educate yourself on legal systems that ignore due process to prevent repeating such grim mistakes in history.