‘I never thought the US tortured people but I was tortured’: Ex-Guantanamo prisoner Slahi

A man who spent 14 years in prison without charge in Guantanamo Bay until his release in 2016 has spoken to FRANCE 24 about his experience of suffering torture there. Mohamedou Ould Slahi is an engineer from Mauritania who was accused by the US of recruiting for and providing other support for al Qaeda in Afghanistan and even of being involved in organising the 9/11 attacks. While in Guantanamo he says he was subjected to a range of torture methods – from sleep deprivation, to isolation, to beatings. His story was documented in his memoir, “Guantanamo Diary”, and was turned into a star-studded 2021 film, “The Mauritanian”, which tells the story of him and his lawyer who succeeded in obtaining his release. He spoke to us in Perspective.