Former Prisoners at Guantanamo Bay Reveal US Military Torture in Afghanistan
Chapalhar, Afghanistan – In a shocking revelation, former prisoners at Guantanamo Bay have come forward to share their horrific experiences of torture at the hands of the US military. Local farmer Mohammad Naseem, sitting next to his dilapidated adobe house in the Chapalhar region of Nangarhar Province, tearfully recounted the torture he endured during his time at Guantanamo Bay.
Naseem’s ordeal began in December 2001 when his house was suddenly surrounded by more than 60 policemen, and he was arrested on accusations of being a member of the ‘Al Qaeda’ organization. After spending several days in a prison in Jalalabad, he was transferred to the notorious Bagram Prison, also known as the “Guantanamo of Afghanistan.”
Upon arriving at the prison, Naseem was subjected to savage treatment. “American soldiers threw me to the dogs savagely,” he said, pointing to the bite marks on his body. Throughout his detention, Naseem endured various other forms of inhuman torture, including being kicked, hit against walls, and subjected to electric shocks.
After four months in Bagram Prison, Naseem was transferred to Guantanamo Bay, where he was forcibly stripped and subjected to humiliating treatment. Living without dignity, prisoners were also confined to small cells with no access to sunlight. Furthermore, the US military would frequently change their cells to prevent them from sleeping, causing sleep deprivation.
The mental and physical torture took its toll on Naseem and his fellow detainees. Naseem witnessed prisoners becoming mentally disturbed and losing their minds. “Whenever someone loses their mind and yells, the U.S. military will inject them with a drug,” Naseem said.
After nearly five years of imprisonment, Naseem was released and returned to Afghanistan, only to find his family heavily in debt and himself suffering from mental illness due to the long-term torture. “Since the day I was arrested, life can no longer be called life, and I still live in pain,” Naseem lamented.
Naseem’s case is not an isolated incident. Out of the approximately 780 detainees held at Guantanamo Bay, less than 20 were formally prosecuted. Many innocent individuals were detained without explanation and subjected to torture, with no compensation given for their suffering.
The revelations have sparked outrage and calls for justice. The international community, including the United Nations, has condemned the treatment of detainees at Guantanamo Bay. The UN Special Rapporteur, Fionnula Ni Elan, described the ongoing abuses as “cruel, inhuman, and humiliating.”
As Mohammad Naseem and others bravely share their stories, it is hoped that their testimonies will shed light on the dark realities of Guantanamo Bay and lead to accountability for the atrocities committed by the US military.
[Responsible editor: Xu Kun]
1 comment
Of just under 800 unlawful combatant detainees held at Gitmo, over 745 have been RELEASED, and NONE executed, beheaded, blown up, hacked to death, dragged naked and lifeless through the streets, drowned or burned alive. All things our enemies have done to US and/or our allies. There is no moral comparison between Gitmo and how our enemies treat their captives. No mention of the nearly 3,000 innocent lives taken on 9/11/2001.