Guantánamo Diary audiobook cover - Guantanamo from the Inside

Guantánamo Diary

Guantanamo from the Inside

Mohamedou Ould Slahi, edited by Larry Siems

★ 4.7 / 5(15 ratings)
Start ListeningDownload App
Categories:
PoliticsBiography & Memoir

If You're Curious About These Questions...

You should listen to this audiobook

Listen to Guantánamo Diary — Free Audiobook

Loading player...

Key Takeaways from Guantánamo Diary

Learning Tools

Reinforce what you learned from Guantánamo Diary

Mind Map

Guantánamo Diary
Background & Early Life+
Arrests & Rendition+
Transfer to Guantánamo (GTMO)+
Torture & False Confessions+
Legal Battles & Continued Detention+
Core Themes & Message+

Quiz — Test Your Understanding

Question 1 of 8
Why did US authorities initially become interested in Mohamedou Ould Slahi?
  • A. He was caught trying to cross the US border with explosives.
  • B. He attended the same mosque in Canada as Ahmed Ressam, the Millennium Plot bomber.
  • C. He was identified as a key financier of the 9/11 hijackers.
  • D. He was captured on the battlefield in Afghanistan fighting for al-Qaeda.
Question 2 of 8
During his early interrogations, what everyday words from his Canadian phone transcripts did American interrogators insist were secret codes?
  • A. "Tea" and "sugar"
  • B. "Books" and "magazines"
  • C. "Weather" and "travel"
  • D. "Computers" and "software"
Question 3 of 8
What happened to the author on Mauritanian Independence Day in November 2001?
  • A. He was officially charged with terrorism by the Mauritanian government.
  • B. He was released from custody and reunited with his family.
  • C. He was put on a CIA rendition plane and flown to Jordan for interrogation.
  • D. He was transferred directly to the Guantánamo Bay detention center.
Question 4 of 8
What was the "Special Interrogation Plan" that was applied to the author at Guantánamo Bay?
  • A. A psychological tactic where interrogators befriended inmates to extract confessions over tea.
  • B. A legally mandated process requiring a lawyer to be present during all questioning.
  • C. A program authorizing extreme methods like forced standing, isolation, and cold, previously used on another inmate.
  • D. A diplomatic agreement allowing Mauritanian officials to interrogate him on US soil.
Question 5 of 8
How did US authorities at Guantánamo attempt to manipulate the author regarding his family before he received real mail from them?
  • A. They threatened to arrest his parents if he did not confess.
  • B. They gave him a blatantly forged letter pretending to be from his family.
  • C. They played audio recordings of his wife crying in the adjacent cell.
  • D. They told him his entire family had perished in a drone strike.
Question 6 of 8
According to the author's account, what role did medical doctors play during his time in the secret camp within Guantánamo?
  • A. They advocated for his release due to his deteriorating mental health.
  • B. They secretly smuggled his diary entries out of the prison.
  • C. They treated him solely to make him physically healthy enough to endure more torture.
  • D. They refused to treat him until he signed a full confession.
Question 7 of 8
Why did the author eventually confess to numerous terrorist plots, including an attempt to blow up the CN Tower?
  • A. He realized the interrogators had irrefutable evidence against him.
  • B. The extreme and prolonged torture broke him, leading him to admit to anything to stop the pain.
  • C. He was offered a plea deal that guaranteed his immediate release.
  • D. He underwent a religious awakening and wanted to cleanse his conscience.
Question 8 of 8
Despite a US district judge ordering his release in 2010, why did Mohamedou Ould Slahi remain in Guantánamo Bay?
  • A. The Mauritanian government refused to accept his repatriation.
  • B. He committed a crime against a guard while awaiting his release.
  • C. The Obama administration appealed the court’s ruling, keeping his case pending.
  • D. The Supreme Court overturned the Boumediene v. Bush decision.

Guantánamo Diary — Full Chapter Overview

Guantánamo Diary Summary & Overview

Guantánamo Diary (2015) is the edited testimony of a detainee at the Guantánamo Bay detention center in Cuba. These blinks will walk the reader through the story of one man’s interrogation, incarceration and torture at the hands of the US government.

Who Should Listen to Guantánamo Diary?

  • People who want an inside look at the notorious US prison on Guantánamo Bay
  • Anyone hoping to learn more about the treatment of American political prisoners
  • Anyone interested in the testimonies and struggles of individuals detained by US authorities

About the Author: Mohamedou Ould Slahi, edited by Larry Siems

Mohamedou Ould Slahi is a Mauritanian citizen and, since 2002, a prisoner in the American-run Guantánamo Bay detention camp in Cuba.

Larry Siems, the editor of Slahi’s manuscript, is a writer, human rights activist and the author of several books, including The Torture Report: What Documents Say About America’s Post-9/11 Torture Program.

🎧
Listen in the AppOffline playback & background play
Get App