In January of this year, for the first time, the world got to hear the full story of someone imprisoned at Guantánamo. Guantánamo Diary, by Mohamedou Ould Slahi, is the first book written by a prisoner currently locked up in the infamous US torture camp. The publisher called it, “An international publishing event.”
Over thirteen years ago, Mohamedou Slahi disappeared into U.S. custody, beginning an “endless world tour” of imprisonment and torture. He wrote his Diary almost ten years ago. It has taken that many years of fighting US censors to bring it to the world, and is still full of black bar redactions.
Guantánamo Diary details months of physical, psychological and sexual abuse. It is full of devastating perception, irony, honesty and even humor. The Guardian wrote, “Guantánamo Diary is a gut-punch of a reminder – for some, an inconvenient one – that Guantánamo is more than a concept, or a few photographs of faceless men in jumpsuits. Its inmates are real human beings, wondering whether they will ever see freedom again.” Its author remains in Guantánamo, even though he was ordered released in 2010.
We’ll be talking to the editor, Larry Seims, and to Andy Worthington, author of The Guantánamo Files and co-founder of closeguantanamo.org on Friday February 13, 2015.
The Michael Slate Show
Friday, February 13, 2015
10:00 – 11:00 AM, Pacific Time
KPFK, 90.7 FM
www.kpfk.org
Download/listen:
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