SoylentNews is people
SoylentNews
After 14 long years languishing at Guantánamo without charge or trial, Mohamedou Slahi has finally been cleared for release.
Slahi was born in Mauritania in 1970 and won a scholarship to attend college in Germany. In the early 1990s, he fought with al-Qaeda when it was part of the Afghan anti-communist resistance supported by the U.S. The federal district court judge who reviewed all the evidence in Slahi's habeas corpus case noted that the group then was very different from the one that later came into existence.
Slahi worked in Germany for several years as an engineer and returned to Mauritania in 2000.
Slahi turned himself in to Mauritanian authorities for questioning about the Millennium Plot on November 20, 2001. He was detained for seven days and questioned by Mauritanian officers and by agents of the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).[5] The CIA rendered him to a Jordanian prison, where he was held for eight months. Slahi states that he was tortured by the Jordanians. After being flown to Afghanistan and held for two weeks, he was transferred to military custody and the Guantánamo Bay detention camp in Cuba on August 4, 2002.[6]
Slahi was subjected to isolation, temperature extremes, beatings and sexual humiliation at Guantánamo. In one documented incident, he was blindfolded and taken out to sea in a boat for a mock execution.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mohamedou_Ould_Slahi
(Score: 2) by isostatic on Sunday July 24 2016, @06:55PM
Obama will save us - he's promised to shit down Guantanamo as soon as he becomes president.
(Score: 2) by Thexalon on Sunday July 24 2016, @06:59PM
That was an absolutely priceless typo. Although it's worth noting he hasn't fulfilled that promise either!
The only thing that stops a bad guy with a compiler is a good guy with a compiler.
(Score: 2, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday July 24 2016, @07:33PM
I don't care if he had a ton of opposition, closing gitmo was of importance to national security. Show the world we can admit our mistake, and give our soldiers and citizens pride again in being a part of the United States of America. As it stands now, we are looked down upon by the people of the world who have a clue. Perhaps it is the fate of any who gain too much power, simply too many arms and heads to keep track of, too many situations to control or fix... I don't care, doing the right thing is hard and takes courage. For all the bravado and claims of freedom ringing we should be doing better. I also don't care that some other world powers may be worse in many regards, that is just apologetic groveling.
(Score: 2) by FatPhil on Monday July 25 2016, @12:03PM
Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people; the smallest discuss themselves
(Score: 3, Informative) by snick on Monday July 25 2016, @02:22PM
Unless you are wishing that Obama had disbanded Congress and declared himself dictator, you are barking up the wrong tree.
Congress blocked every move he made to close Guantanamo. But yeah, lets blame the president for the actions of Congress.
(Score: 2) by bob_super on Tuesday July 26 2016, @01:01AM
Obama spent 7.5 years trying to preserve goodwill of his opponents to get stuff from them despite systematic unflinching opposition.
He didn't get Gitmo, but he go Iran, Cuba, Obamacare, tax raises, gay acceptance... He could have used the bully pulpit to get Gitmo (call them cowards every day for thinking a SuperMax can't hold a sheep herder), but what would we have lost in exchange which might potentially leave us worse off?
His opponents went on a crazy binge of hate denial and anger to neuter him, and he's danced around them enough times that they've now lost control of their own monster.