Mohamedou Ould Slahi’sGuantánamo Diary

One man’s account of rendition, torture and detention without charge at the hands of the US

After fourteen years of being held in Guantánamo without charge or trial, Mohamedou Ould Slahi has been released and reunited with his family in Mauritiania . Read more

Slahi’s book, the first and only memoir by a still-imprisoned Guantánamo detainee, was published in January 2015 — with numerous redactions — from a 466-page handwritten manuscript. It was an international bestseller and has since been translated into multiple languages for publication in more than 25 countries.

In 2021, The Mauritianian, a film based on Guantánamo Diary, was released. It stars Tahar Rahim as Mohamedou, with Jodie Foster, Shailene Woodley and Benedict Cumberbatch, and was directed by Kevin Macdonald.

Guantánamo Diary  is now out in paperback. As Mohamedou Ould Slahi has been unable to speak about his book himself, his incredible, moving story is being brought to life by celebrities who have been touched by his story. We have released exclusive audio extracts read by Benedict Cumberbatch, Jude Law, Neil Gaiman, Nadya Tolokonnikova, John Hurt, Clarke Peters, Brian Eno, Hari Kunzru, Nick Cave, Dominic West, Alan Cumming and Stanley Tucci. You can read Mohamedou’s full story here.

Narrated excerpts

Guantánamo Diary on the Guardian

#freeslahi

Mohamedou Ould Slahi is free

After being held without charge or trial for fourteen years – years of torture and abuse – Mohamedou Ould Slahi has been freed. Slahi was one of two so-called “Special Projects” the brutal treatment of whom Donald Rumsfeld personally approved. The abuse included beatings, extreme isolation, sleep deprivation, frigid rooms, shackling in stress positions, and threats against both Slahi and his mother.

On 2 June 2016 he was cleared by a review board for release, and on 17 October 2016 he was returned to his family. An international campaign had pushed for his freedom, with more than 100,000 people signing petitions in support.

In February 2021, the Biden administration – like the Obama administration before it – declared its detention to shut the facility. 40 prisoners remain in Guantánamo.