Mohamedou Ould Slahi wants compensation. This Mauritanian, unjustly suspected of terrorism and imprisoned in Guantanamo for 14 years and whose story was told in the hit film Found Guilty, has launched a case against Canada responsible for his imprisonment.
The now 51-year-old believes “false information” from Canada about the length of time he was a permanent resident of Montreal was the reason for his detention, according to the complaint filed on Friday. He is therefore demanding 35 million Canadian dollars (just over 25 million euros) in damages for the damage suffered.
many tortures
The man claims it was false information provided by Canadian authorities that led to his detention in the American military prison, where he says he suffered “indescribable torture and ill-treatment” such as beatings, sleep deprivation, sexual assault or even threats… Then Canadian authorities “condoned” the torture suffered and even “used” information from confessions obtained under torture.
“Slahi’s detention and ill-treatment was extended because the receipt and use of coerced confessions by Canadian authorities confirmed the continued torture and detention,” Mohamedou Ould Slahi’s lawyers say in their complaint. The latter had written his story in a book that became a bestseller before it was adapted for cinema. The film, starring Tahar Rahim and Jodie Foster, accurately portrays the extreme conditions at the American base.
Also imprisoned in Jordan and Afghanistan
Mohamedou Ould Slahi was detained without trial in Guantanamo from 2002 to 2016. Arrested in Mauritania in 2001, he had been detained successively in Jordan and Afghanistan before arriving at Guantanamo in what he described in his book as a “world tour of torture and humiliation”. American authorities accused him of being a member of Al Qaeda after participating in the “Hamburg cell” (Germany) associated with the 9/11 attacks.