Living in Guantanamo
Conectas and Cia. das Letras come together for launch of diary on life in the U.S. prison
For more than a decade, Mohamedou Ould Slahi has been one of the 114 detainees held in the U.S. prison of Guantanamo, one of the harshest symbols of human rights violations on the continent. Like most of his fellow inmates, Slahi has never been formally charged with a crime. His experience, from daily life in the prison complex to interrogations and torture, can now be read in a memoir published in Brazil by Cia. das Letras. The launch of the book, which includes redactions to the original manuscript made by U.S. government censors, will take place in partnership with Conectas on Monday, October 5, at 6 pm, in São Paulo.
Participating in the debate are Patrícia Campos Mello, a journalist from the Folha de São Paulo newspaper who has already visited Guantanamo, Paulo Vannuchi, a member of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, and Jessica Carvalho Morris, executive director of Conectas, who has already worked as a lawyer in cases involving people detained in the U.S. prison. Entrance is free and registration is not necessary.
The publication of Slahi’s memoir in Brazil coincides with an increase in global pressure to close Guantanamo – which will only occur if the government of Barack Obama manages to relocate all the prisoners. Currently, 52 detainees have already been cleared for transfer, which means they have undergone an extensive and careful review process by six U.S. agencies (including the FBI and the CIA) and, by unanimous decision, may be released provided they are taken in by other countries.
Due to restrictions approved by the U.S. Congress, these people cannot go to the United States. Many cannot return to their countries of origin, given the insecurity and high risk of persecution and torture – such as the case of Yemen, the country of origin of 84% of the men who have already been cleared for release but who remain imprisoned in Guantanamo. The freedom of these people depends, therefore, on the willingness of other countries to accept them, like Uruguay did in late 2014.
Over the past few months, as a result of the normalization of relations between President Dilma Rousseff and President Obama – undermined since revelations emerged of the spying program run by the U.S. National Security Agency (NSA) – human rights organizations in Brazil and the United States have been urging the Brazilian government to accept some of the prisoners who have been cleared for release.
Click here to see five reasons why Brazil should become part of the solution to the problem of Guantanamo.
Event:
Debate and launch of the book “Guantanamo Diary”, by Mohamedou Ould Slahi, in Portuguese.
Where? Livraria da Vila (Rua Fradique Coutinho, 915 – Vila Madalena)
When? Monday, October 5, at 6 pm
Registration is not necessary.
