The General: The Ordinary Man Who Challenged Guantanamo

by Ahmed Errachidi, Gillian Slovo

A revelatory and necessary survival memoir of five years of illegal detainment and torture in Guantánamo Bay On September 11, 2001, in a café in London, Ahmed Errachidi watched as the twin towers collapsed. He was appalled by the loss of innocent life. But he couldn't possibly have predicted how much of his own life he too would lose because of that day. In a series of terrible events, Ahmed was sold by the Pakistanis to the Americans in the diplomatic lounge at Islamabad airport and spent five and a half years in Guantanamo. There, he was beaten, tortured, humiliated, and very nearly destroyed. But Ahmed did not give in. This very ordinary, Moroccan-born London chef became a leader of men. Known by the authorities as The General, he devised protests and resistance by any means possible. As a result, he spent most of his time in solitary confinement. But then, after all those years, Ahmed was freed, his innocence admitted. This is Ahmed's story. It will make readers rethink what it means to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. It will also make readers look anew at courage, survival, justice, and the War on Terror.

208 pages, Paperback

First published March 28, 2013

Reviews

[Tweedledum · Rating 5 out of 5]

So I knew that what was going on in Guantanamo was bad, I deplored it, I silently shook my head as stories sneaked out. But, after all, I reasoned, there must be good reason, surely there must be good reason why those people were there.... Even if there was no good reason for denying them access to justice.

I was so wrong....

I guess many people were like me, we did not want to see, did not want to believe, really believe that such abuse could go on on such a scale for so long unchallenged. It's also true that 9/11 was so shocking that, while not sanctioning retribution on the innocent there was a sense of need to see something being done....

Something needs to be done....

How often has that rationale been used to justify atrocity, war, torture and all manner of abuse that degrades the individual human being and their life, their story into some sort of demonised monster or vermin.

Ahmed Errachidi's strength of will and character enabled him not only to survive abuse that even some Nazi's and warders of the Stalin order would have balked at, but also enabled him to inspire his fellow sufferers to find ways to protest even when it seemed they had nothing and no power to do anything.

While hundreds of prisoners were eventually released having been locked away and subjected to systematic and barbaric abuse for years for simply being in the wrong place at the wrong time the US still has people in Guantanamo it refuses to bring to trial...

This is a very important book. Read it.

[Denise · Rating 5 out of 5]

Harrowing, brutal, and extremely enraging - as one would expect given the subject matter. And of course, as I write this, fucking Guantanamo is still open and still holds detainees, some for almost two decades by now, who one can only surmise the US government fervently hopes will just keel over and drop dead of natural causes some time soon so they won't have to bother trying to put on some semblance of a trial after all this time and torture. Have I mentioned that this shit makes me absolutely livid?

[Zainab]

Really humbling. A honest account of human nature and how the will of a few can change the world for many. A must read for anyone interested in what happens behind closed doors.

[P F Le Lievre · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Truth

American administration could be described as the biggest Terrorists in the world. American people are lovely. They just have no control over their military and agencies.It is terrible what they do to others in the name promoting democracy. The way they treat others is a main reason for much of the world disliking America.This book portrays American military in a very poor light. Why can’t they see this and close down such prisons immediately?????????