Aahana Swrup
Mohamedou Ould Slahi was incarcerated at the military prison Guantánamo Bay by the US government for around 14 years. During these grueling years, the engineer from Mauritania, Africa was subjected to gross torture through physical beatings, sleep deprivation, sexual abuse, psychological torment, and more. Nonetheless, his brutal detainment came without charge during his capture or in its aftermath. After his initial detention in 2002, he finally saw freedom from the nightmarish prison in 2016, following a long and arduous legal battle fought with criminal defense lawyers Nancy Hollander and Theresa Duncan by his side.
In 2015—five years after a federal judge passed an order for his immediate release, which was ultimately appealed—Slahi was able to publish his life story and experiences in the autobiographical memoir ‘Guantánamo Diary.’ Years later, filmmaker Kevin Macdonald brought his story to the big screen in ‘The Mauritanian,’ allowing Slahi’s narrative to reach a wider audience. Since then, the former GTMO prisoner’s life has only continued to unravel in fascinating ways.
Mohamedou Ould Slahi Overcame International Travel Complications and Left Mauritania
In the aftermath of his release from Guantánamo Bay, Mohamedou Ould Slahi faced many issues with international travel. Initially, it took years for the Mauritanian authorities to return his passport. Therefore, since he didn’t hold any other citizenship or nationality, he was effectively prevented from leaving the African country. This resulted in many problems, notably the lack of access to healthcare for medical treatment he shared was unavailable in Mauritania. Furthermore, it also prevented him from living with his family, wife Kitty, and their son Ahmed.
On the other hand, Slahi and his family also faced issues with finding any Western country that was willing to grant them a visa. Eventually, in 2021, he was finally granted a residence permit from the Dutch Immigration and Naturalisation Service, IND, allowing him residence in the Netherlands. Moreover, he was also able to travel to other countries, including Cape Town, South Africa, where some of the shooting for Kevin Macdonald took place. Since then, Slahi has visited many places, including Norway, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and more. As per the last known reports, he currently resides in Amsterdam, Netherlands.
Mohamedou Ould Slahi is a Writer, Sharing His Words Through Books and Theater
Mohamedou Ould Slahi was an engineer by profession in the 90s and early 2000s before his life took a cruel turn with his imprisonment at Guantánamo Bay. During this time, he published his first literary work in 2015, sharing his autobiography to the world. ‘Guantánamo Diary,’ originally released with heavy redactions by US intelligence officials, had a huge impact and saw a re-release in 2017 as a restored edition with the redactions removed. Although his first professional foray into writing, the memoir wasn’t the beginning of Slahi’s literary interests.
Slahi used to write short stories as a kid, sporting a great love for books from titles like ‘One Hundred and One Nights’ to ‘Sherlock Holmes.’ As such, the author has naturally retained his passion for written art and continues to write today. In 2021, he published his second book, a historical fiction novel grounded in his Mauritanian roots, ‘The Actual True Story of Ahmed and Zarga.’ Additionally, he works as a writer-in-residence at Noord Nederlands Toneel and Club Guy & Roni, a theater company and dance company, respectively, in the Netherlands.
In 2023, one of Slahi’s theater productions’ Yara’s Wedding,’ based on Edward Said’s ‘Orientalism,’ was also released. The same year, the writer received The Marco Borradori Prize at the Endorfine Festival and was honored with the Netherlands’ PAX Peace Prize. As such, despite the unimaginable hardships that life has thrown his way, Slahi continues to shine, bringing his unique light to the world with his creative work. His writing career often takes him around the world, as evident through his 2023 attendance at the Kapittel Literature Festival in Stavanger, Norway. Furthermore, he also maintains his presence as a public figure, participating in events and conversations with a variety of organizations and educational institutions to discuss his unique perspective on freedom and democracy.
Mohamedou Ould Slahi Advocates For the Closing of Guantánamo Bay
Mohamedou Ould Slahi was taken to Guantánamo Bay in 2002, following a year of prior detainment and interrogation in a Jordan prison and captivity in an Air Force Base in Afghanistan. Although he was accused of involvement in the Millennium Plot, he was never—and has never been—given any criminal charge. Even so, during his detention at Guantánamo Bay, Slahi was put through cruel methods of torture to force inadmissible confessions. Ultimately, after he and his lawyers, Nancy Hollander and Theresa Duncan, fought out the legal battle for his Habeas corpus petition, he was granted release—which wouldn’t come for another six years due to an appeal by the US government.
Thus, now, in the aftermath of his release from the US military prison in Cuba, Slahi continues to advocate for the closing of the detention camps. In 2021, Slahi and other individuals who were formerly held in the military prison published an open letter appealing for its closing under Joe Biden’s administration. Similarly, in 2023, he supported the UK Parliament’s All-Party Parliamentary Group as he lobbied for the closure of Guantánamo. Even today, he continues to remain in opposition to the camps. “As a person who has lived and interacted with the kind American people and who wishes the American people well, it saddens me that the United States has reached this level of disdaining human rights and ignoring freedom and democracy,” he told PEN International in a conversation about President Donald Trump’s decision to keep Guantanamo open.
Mohamedou Ould Slahi Filed a Lawsuit Against the Canadian Government
Initially, in the aftermath of Mohamedou Ould Slahi’s release from Guantánamo Bay, the man chose not to file any complaints against Washington or the Mauritanian Government for the brutality of his experiences in the military prison. Instead, he insisted on choosing forgiveness as he moved forward in his life. However, in 2022, Slahi found himself entering a legal battle with the Canadian authorities. During the writer’s residence in Montreal, Canada, in 1999, the Canadian authorities put him under surveillance due to suspicion of a link to the Millennium Plot.
Later, the Canadian government shared the Intelligence they gathered on Slahi with US authorities, which contributed significantly toward his eventual detainment. In fact, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service even reportedly questioned Slahi at Guantanamo in 2003. “Without the Canadian government, I would never have been kidnapped. Without the Canadian government, I would never have been selected for the torture program,” the writer told Middle East Eye. He added, “Instead of the protection I was seeking, I was literally thrown under the bus.” Thus, he chose to file a $35 million lawsuit against the Canadian government. At the time of writing, there hasn’t been any public development in this case.
Mohamedou Ould Slahi Cherishes the Family and Friends in His Life
While Mohamedou Ould Slahi remains in the public eye, his current personal life has become significantly less visible in the past few years. Although he still manages a public social media presence, the updates have gotten few and far between. For the same reason, it’s difficult to procure a detailed read on his private life, including his place of residence and familial situation. Nonetheless, it remains evident that Slahi holds the relationships he has made with his friends and family close to his heart. Since his release, he has remained close friends with Nancy Hollander and continues celebrating her accomplishments.
When Hollander won the Medal of Honor at The World Jurist Association, Slahi was right beside her to celebrate. The two were also by each other’s side during their visits to the set of ‘The Mauritanian’ as a source of mutual moral and emotional support. Similarly, he is also friends with Steve Wood, one of his prison guards from his time at Guantánamo Bay to this day. The duo even worked together on a short documentary, ‘My Brother’s Keeper.’ On the other hand, Slahi also remains incredibly close with his family, including his nieces and nephews.
Read More: The Mauritanian: Is Teri Duncan Based on a Real Lawyer? Where is She Now?
