What do you think?
Rate this book
Guantánamo Kid - L'histoire vraie de Mohamed El-Gorani
C'est l'histoire d'un jeune garçon qui se rêve un avenir meilleur et quitte l'Arabie Saoudite pour étudier l'anglais et l'informatique au Pakistan. Deux mois après son arrivée, c'est le 11 septembre 2001. Au mauvais endroit au mauvais moment, l'adolescent est vendu par les services secrets pakistanais aux Américains, au prétexte qu'il appartiendrait à Al-Qaïda. C'est une descente aux enfers qui le mène à Guantánamo où il va vivre la routine des tortures, des interrogatoires incessants et vains. Une histoire vraie.
172 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 16, 2018
3 people are currently reading
388 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 85 reviews
August 3, 2019
One of the grimmest chapters in American history, and there's stiff competition, unfortunately: Abu Gharib/Guantanamo, when one of the most powerful countries on the planet made the unwise and horrific decision to round up a bunch of people, few of them actually terrorists, as it turned out, and try to torture them into confessing they were members of Al-Qaeda and trying to get intel from them. As we knew then and now: Useless, except causing rage and more terrorism everywhere. In the process of reading this I asked a few people I knew what these places were/are and they are already fading from public recognition. They will certainly never be part of any US History textbooks.
So how do you make Guantanamo, which is still open, still incarcerating people illegally, visible? This graphic memoir/history has some potential: Mohammed El-Gharani was born in Chad and was sent to learn English in Pakistan when he was 14, still a child, where he was "rounded up" and "sold" to the US and sent to this prison, held as an adult, with no evidence whatsoever, accused of joining Al-Qaeda at seven (!) when he was still in elementary school (!!), held and tortured for seven years by our government.
So who needs to read about torture, right? Distasteful, upsetting, nightmarish. You already get it, preaching to the converted. Well, the good news is that the focus of Mohammed's story is on the fact that though he spent seven forever lost years there, 1/3 of his life unjustly incarcerated, that he was usefully resistant, had a great sense of humor, shaming his captors (many of whom he claims were good people who recognized the injustice and cruel buffoonery of the place) and appearing (according to his one account) unafraid as much as possible, which seemed to help him. He was finally released, thanks to several organizations pushing back against the government, no criminal record, sent back to Chad, where his family no longer lives, and is still struggling with torture-related health issues, not gainfully employed, so this is not a happy ending, but still, very much necessary reading. Required reading.
I repeat: This book emphasizes Mohammed's spirit and not the torture, so I encourage you to at least look at it, please. Gorgeously cartooned comics journalism.
So how do you make Guantanamo, which is still open, still incarcerating people illegally, visible? This graphic memoir/history has some potential: Mohammed El-Gharani was born in Chad and was sent to learn English in Pakistan when he was 14, still a child, where he was "rounded up" and "sold" to the US and sent to this prison, held as an adult, with no evidence whatsoever, accused of joining Al-Qaeda at seven (!) when he was still in elementary school (!!), held and tortured for seven years by our government.
So who needs to read about torture, right? Distasteful, upsetting, nightmarish. You already get it, preaching to the converted. Well, the good news is that the focus of Mohammed's story is on the fact that though he spent seven forever lost years there, 1/3 of his life unjustly incarcerated, that he was usefully resistant, had a great sense of humor, shaming his captors (many of whom he claims were good people who recognized the injustice and cruel buffoonery of the place) and appearing (according to his one account) unafraid as much as possible, which seemed to help him. He was finally released, thanks to several organizations pushing back against the government, no criminal record, sent back to Chad, where his family no longer lives, and is still struggling with torture-related health issues, not gainfully employed, so this is not a happy ending, but still, very much necessary reading. Required reading.
I repeat: This book emphasizes Mohammed's spirit and not the torture, so I encourage you to at least look at it, please. Gorgeously cartooned comics journalism.
July 21, 2019
4.5 Stars!
“YOU’RE UNDER ARREST! YOU’RE IN THE CUSTODY OF THE U.S. ARMY! DON’T TALK, DON’T MOVE OR WE’LL SHOOT YOU!”
OK quiz time, are you ready?...See if you can name the names on the list of US soldiers and governmental employees who have stood trial and been convicted in relation to the illegal capture, wrongful imprisonment, long term abuse, torture and killings of prisoners in Guantanamo?...
Only kidding, don’t be silly this is America we are talking about, and those laws only apply to the other guys in those other countries. You know the ones with darker skin, who don’t speak English. America doesn’t play by the rules. It only makes rules for other countries to follow.
This is not the first story to emerge from the hell that is Guantanamo, but it certainly makes a strong and convincing case for the most heart breaking. This is the story of an innocent teenage boy, who was wrongly sold to the invading US forces for $5’000 as a member of Al Qaida. He went onto spend around a third of his life inside Guantanamo and now suffers chronic injuries and other problems as a result of the sustained abuse he was subjected to.
“Guantanamo Kid” can make for genuinely gruelling reading, repeated scenes of five heavily armed men, with shields, helmets etc storming into his cell, to pin him down, to cuff and/or inject him to knock him out. And he an undernourished, unarmed man who weighs around 90 pounds. This is yet another metaphor that sums up American foreign policy beautifully.
With the US paying $5’000 per ‘prisoner’ in some of the poorest, most corrupt countries in the world, what do we think is going to happen?...It was one of the many scenarios which perfectly encapsulate so much about the US attitude to problems. Instead of using competent intelligence to understand root causes, they throw money at something and hopefully that will solve the problem.
The madness and mayhem that swept through the United States of America in the aftermath of 9/11 was like a more dangerous and feverish version of McCarthyism. It brought out the darkest elements of the various engines that hold sway throughout the nation. The media, the government and many other institutions seemed to get caught up in a new, awful world of xenophobia, racism, hate, lies, ignorance and stupidity that would allow a small yet all too powerful group of people to inflict a lot of torture, bullying, misery and killing that would impact on millions of innocent people living in towns, cities and countries which had absolutely nothing to do with 9/11.
Not only is it one of the darkest and most shameful chapters in the nation’s history, but it also became one of the biggest recruitment campaigns for extremism, which resulted in thousands of lives ruined throughout many towns and cities throughout Europe and beyond, as desperate people sought some kind of revenge for their lives being ruined. Then of course there are the millions of refugees who have flooded into Europe looking for shelter from the actions of allied forces who were 'liberating them’.
It is incredible how often the cliché “I’m just doing my job” gets wheeled out and used to protect or absolve some cowardly individual from their awful behaviour. This kid’s family were never informed of his false imprisonment until years later, and that was due to outside influence. His cell windows were taped over with brown tape to prevent sunlight getting inside. Soldiers working in the camp routinely covered their name badges to escape the consequences for their actions. Prisoners had fleas, lice and only got a shower every three months. They also had to wear the same clothes for three months. Torture techniques included but were not limited to, blasting air con on for hours at a time, playing incredibly loud music, putting on vacuum cleaners and switching on all the lights when prisoners were trying to sleep. There were also times when they would move prisoners every hour from their bed so they couldn’t sleep.
We also get to hear about El-Gharani’s troublesome and peripatetic life after he was eventually released by the Americans, and it makes for grim yet fairly incredible reading. It takes in a number of unforgiving places in a number of hostile regions of the world and all along the stain of his imprisonment is held and used against him, seemingly keeping him down, even when it looks like his lot is looking up.
“I don’t believe the American people really understand. It’s the American government that’s responsible, not the American people.” El-Gharani says at one point. This is a comforting way to try and separate the guilty from the not guilty, but the problem with that is that the US government is made up of the American people and no one is born into the US government. They are a product of the US system, born, raised and educated in the good ole United States of America and that is the real issue. It is the fault of America. Responsibilty needs to be taken and lessons need to be learned.
This is a dark yet compelling piece of graphic memoir/journalism that really stands out in a number of powerful and memorable ways. And I have to say that it makes for essential reading for anyone out there who has ever read anything anywhere.
“YOU’RE UNDER ARREST! YOU’RE IN THE CUSTODY OF THE U.S. ARMY! DON’T TALK, DON’T MOVE OR WE’LL SHOOT YOU!”
OK quiz time, are you ready?...See if you can name the names on the list of US soldiers and governmental employees who have stood trial and been convicted in relation to the illegal capture, wrongful imprisonment, long term abuse, torture and killings of prisoners in Guantanamo?...
Only kidding, don’t be silly this is America we are talking about, and those laws only apply to the other guys in those other countries. You know the ones with darker skin, who don’t speak English. America doesn’t play by the rules. It only makes rules for other countries to follow.
This is not the first story to emerge from the hell that is Guantanamo, but it certainly makes a strong and convincing case for the most heart breaking. This is the story of an innocent teenage boy, who was wrongly sold to the invading US forces for $5’000 as a member of Al Qaida. He went onto spend around a third of his life inside Guantanamo and now suffers chronic injuries and other problems as a result of the sustained abuse he was subjected to.
“Guantanamo Kid” can make for genuinely gruelling reading, repeated scenes of five heavily armed men, with shields, helmets etc storming into his cell, to pin him down, to cuff and/or inject him to knock him out. And he an undernourished, unarmed man who weighs around 90 pounds. This is yet another metaphor that sums up American foreign policy beautifully.
With the US paying $5’000 per ‘prisoner’ in some of the poorest, most corrupt countries in the world, what do we think is going to happen?...It was one of the many scenarios which perfectly encapsulate so much about the US attitude to problems. Instead of using competent intelligence to understand root causes, they throw money at something and hopefully that will solve the problem.
The madness and mayhem that swept through the United States of America in the aftermath of 9/11 was like a more dangerous and feverish version of McCarthyism. It brought out the darkest elements of the various engines that hold sway throughout the nation. The media, the government and many other institutions seemed to get caught up in a new, awful world of xenophobia, racism, hate, lies, ignorance and stupidity that would allow a small yet all too powerful group of people to inflict a lot of torture, bullying, misery and killing that would impact on millions of innocent people living in towns, cities and countries which had absolutely nothing to do with 9/11.
Not only is it one of the darkest and most shameful chapters in the nation’s history, but it also became one of the biggest recruitment campaigns for extremism, which resulted in thousands of lives ruined throughout many towns and cities throughout Europe and beyond, as desperate people sought some kind of revenge for their lives being ruined. Then of course there are the millions of refugees who have flooded into Europe looking for shelter from the actions of allied forces who were 'liberating them’.
It is incredible how often the cliché “I’m just doing my job” gets wheeled out and used to protect or absolve some cowardly individual from their awful behaviour. This kid’s family were never informed of his false imprisonment until years later, and that was due to outside influence. His cell windows were taped over with brown tape to prevent sunlight getting inside. Soldiers working in the camp routinely covered their name badges to escape the consequences for their actions. Prisoners had fleas, lice and only got a shower every three months. They also had to wear the same clothes for three months. Torture techniques included but were not limited to, blasting air con on for hours at a time, playing incredibly loud music, putting on vacuum cleaners and switching on all the lights when prisoners were trying to sleep. There were also times when they would move prisoners every hour from their bed so they couldn’t sleep.
We also get to hear about El-Gharani’s troublesome and peripatetic life after he was eventually released by the Americans, and it makes for grim yet fairly incredible reading. It takes in a number of unforgiving places in a number of hostile regions of the world and all along the stain of his imprisonment is held and used against him, seemingly keeping him down, even when it looks like his lot is looking up.
“I don’t believe the American people really understand. It’s the American government that’s responsible, not the American people.” El-Gharani says at one point. This is a comforting way to try and separate the guilty from the not guilty, but the problem with that is that the US government is made up of the American people and no one is born into the US government. They are a product of the US system, born, raised and educated in the good ole United States of America and that is the real issue. It is the fault of America. Responsibilty needs to be taken and lessons need to be learned.
This is a dark yet compelling piece of graphic memoir/journalism that really stands out in a number of powerful and memorable ways. And I have to say that it makes for essential reading for anyone out there who has ever read anything anywhere.
July 21, 2019
All the allegations in here are difficult to digest and accept, but it is necessary to witness the injustices committed by the U.S. government in the Guantánamo Bay detention facility. Why is this place still open?
July 29, 2019
Mohammed El-Gharani was born in Chad. When he was very young, his family moved to Medina in Saudi Arabia, partly to be with his grandparents, who already lived there. In 2001, he travelled to Pakistan to spend six months learning English, hoping it would help him get a job repairing computers. After 9/11, he was arrested by the Pakistan authorities--who were rounding up many foreign nationals--and handed over to the Americans as a suspected terrorist. He was barely 14. He then spent the next eight years of his life in Guantánamo prison.
And being freed eventually wasn't really the happy ending you’d expect. Rather than reuniting with his family in Medina, El-Gharani was repatriated to Chad, a country whose language and customs were entirely unfamiliar to him. Unable to get a passport due--at least in part--to his prison record, he was forced to make a living as best he could. As the text afterword reveals, even today his years in Guantánamo have much more influence over his life than any innocent person should have to bear.
It's frustrating to realize that we live in a world where such things can happen. Too often, the public attitude seems to be that, “You must have done *something* or you wouldn't be in prison.” While I would agree that the whole point of prison is that it should be difficult to get out of, we need to keep in mind that our system of justice is not perfect, and, sadly, probably never will be. El-Gharani’s story helps to drive home the point that even prisoners deserve a certain level of basic human rights.
This is a book that everyone should read. Sadly, those who need to read it the most probably won't. Highly recommended!
And being freed eventually wasn't really the happy ending you’d expect. Rather than reuniting with his family in Medina, El-Gharani was repatriated to Chad, a country whose language and customs were entirely unfamiliar to him. Unable to get a passport due--at least in part--to his prison record, he was forced to make a living as best he could. As the text afterword reveals, even today his years in Guantánamo have much more influence over his life than any innocent person should have to bear.
It's frustrating to realize that we live in a world where such things can happen. Too often, the public attitude seems to be that, “You must have done *something* or you wouldn't be in prison.” While I would agree that the whole point of prison is that it should be difficult to get out of, we need to keep in mind that our system of justice is not perfect, and, sadly, probably never will be. El-Gharani’s story helps to drive home the point that even prisoners deserve a certain level of basic human rights.
This is a book that everyone should read. Sadly, those who need to read it the most probably won't. Highly recommended!
July 31, 2018
18/20
Une bande dessinée très importante pour dénoncer la zone de non-droit qu’est Guantanamo et le non-respect des Droits de l’Homme. Découvrez l’histoire vraie de Mohammed, un homme emprisonné et torturé sans jugement ni condamnation pendant des années. Révoltant et terriblement triste.
Ma chronique : https://myprettybooks.wordpress.com/2...
Une bande dessinée très importante pour dénoncer la zone de non-droit qu’est Guantanamo et le non-respect des Droits de l’Homme. Découvrez l’histoire vraie de Mohammed, un homme emprisonné et torturé sans jugement ni condamnation pendant des années. Révoltant et terriblement triste.
Ma chronique : https://myprettybooks.wordpress.com/2...
September 14, 2019
Another book that left me wondering what’s going on? Who makes these policies? How can anyone justify treating people, innocent people, as Tubiana explains, as less than the trash that gets dumped everyday? I finished this with a mass of mixed emotions - anger and lots of it, sadness, and shame at how wrong my country has gone.
April 13, 2024
2,5🌟
No está mal pero me ha faltado contextualización en algunas ocasiones (no sabes cómo llega a conocer a según qué personajes o qué relación tienen, qué pasa en cada país en cada momento o cómo influyen las decisiones políticas en Guantánamo concretamente). Para mi gusto se pasa todo muy rápido (torturas, cambios de edificio, temporadas en otros lugares, viajes...) para una historia tan compleja y dolorosa. También me hubiera gustado que el protagonista se abriera más a nivel emocional (según él consigue estar siempre al pie del cañón para quejarse, pero de repente habla de que se intentó suicidar: las dos cosas son comprensibles pero no se entiende cómo pasa de una a la otra) y se explicaran mejor las secuelas de su vivencia (habla de secuelas físicas pero de forma súper general y no hay ninguna a nivel emocional).
El final ha sido muy abrupto y me ha dejado con ganas de saber qué pasa años después.
No está mal pero me ha faltado contextualización en algunas ocasiones (no sabes cómo llega a conocer a según qué personajes o qué relación tienen, qué pasa en cada país en cada momento o cómo influyen las decisiones políticas en Guantánamo concretamente). Para mi gusto se pasa todo muy rápido (torturas, cambios de edificio, temporadas en otros lugares, viajes...) para una historia tan compleja y dolorosa. También me hubiera gustado que el protagonista se abriera más a nivel emocional (según él consigue estar siempre al pie del cañón para quejarse, pero de repente habla de que se intentó suicidar: las dos cosas son comprensibles pero no se entiende cómo pasa de una a la otra) y se explicaran mejor las secuelas de su vivencia (habla de secuelas físicas pero de forma súper general y no hay ninguna a nivel emocional).
El final ha sido muy abrupto y me ha dejado con ganas de saber qué pasa años después.
April 18, 2019
Required reading. No matter how much you know about what happened (is happening) at Guantanamo, you must read Mohamed El-Gharani’s story. I found it so engrossing that I read it in two short spurts. It’s hard to believe this kind of torture is possible in our modern era, that mistakes so gigantic (like thinking a 13 year old was a member of al-Quaeda) are allowed to perpetuate a false narrative. Mohammed’s life in West Africa was also very eye opening for me- always hustling to make a living, on the run from agents and governments. It’s a shame what the United States has done to Guantanamo prisoners in the name of justice, and it’s a double shame that Trump is continuing that legacy. All in the name of justice, all in the guise of making a show of taking down ‘the bad guys.’ Disgusting. Supported by Amnesty International, this story needs to be heard
February 24, 2021
This is a story that makes you angry, sad, and astonished all at the same time. Shocking. Very well told.
June 8, 2019
There is this quote by Abraham Lincoln: “Do I not destroy my enemies when I make them my friends?”, which is the ultimate, most beautiful thought concerning one's enemies and how to deal with them.
Sadly, the opposite is also true, one can make enemies of people that could be our friends by treating them as if they were our enemies from the get-go.
Mohammed El-Gharani is a clear example of this.
Abducted as a child for being a terrorist, part of the 9/11 group of idiots, and placed in Guantanamo Bay for eight long, painful years.
Thing is, he was innocent, and it was quite evident he was so had our government done a proper background check (not to mention he was too you to be in any of the places our government says he was in).
This book, endorsed by Amnesty International, tells, in detail, his story. From his childhood in Saudi Arabia, to his abduction in Pakistan, to his imprisonment in Guantanamo. All told with detailed information. At first I thought the cartoon-like style chosen for the sequential art may interrupt one's suspension of disbelief but no... somehow it's a perfect combination of Mohammed's sad reality with a cartoon style that manages to give you a glimmer of hope.
This book is so well written and drawn that you can't help but feel anger toward the American government and the shady techniques it uses to "get things done". Fewer books have made me so distraught toward my own country... this is a book that has changed my life and the decisions I make as an American.
To pass the time while incarcerated, Mohammed would write verses. One of them, the following, made me think of Lincoln's beautiful quote because of the stark contrast and anger:
"Let me find a place to rest my head. So tired. It's not easy, life after Guantanamo. Chad, Benin, Togo, Ghana, Niger, Nigeria... all this, it's Americans who did this to me."
We are definitely our worst enemy.
Truly recommend this graphic novel.
Josep Blas
Sadly, the opposite is also true, one can make enemies of people that could be our friends by treating them as if they were our enemies from the get-go.
Mohammed El-Gharani is a clear example of this.
Abducted as a child for being a terrorist, part of the 9/11 group of idiots, and placed in Guantanamo Bay for eight long, painful years.
Thing is, he was innocent, and it was quite evident he was so had our government done a proper background check (not to mention he was too you to be in any of the places our government says he was in).
This book, endorsed by Amnesty International, tells, in detail, his story. From his childhood in Saudi Arabia, to his abduction in Pakistan, to his imprisonment in Guantanamo. All told with detailed information. At first I thought the cartoon-like style chosen for the sequential art may interrupt one's suspension of disbelief but no... somehow it's a perfect combination of Mohammed's sad reality with a cartoon style that manages to give you a glimmer of hope.
This book is so well written and drawn that you can't help but feel anger toward the American government and the shady techniques it uses to "get things done". Fewer books have made me so distraught toward my own country... this is a book that has changed my life and the decisions I make as an American.
To pass the time while incarcerated, Mohammed would write verses. One of them, the following, made me think of Lincoln's beautiful quote because of the stark contrast and anger:
"Let me find a place to rest my head. So tired. It's not easy, life after Guantanamo. Chad, Benin, Togo, Ghana, Niger, Nigeria... all this, it's Americans who did this to me."
We are definitely our worst enemy.
Truly recommend this graphic novel.
Josep Blas
July 30, 2020
As all who told their stories from GTMO, this book give an important and at the same time horrific account of what one of the most racist projects in recent times is and what consequences and effects it has for both indviduals and also the world. The story of Mohammed El-Gharani is a testimony of how the logics of Islamophobia work; here is a kid that gets sold into the hands of Americans, then tortured, humilated and robbed of his youth only to be released into a world were the stigma of having been to GTMO creates obstacles wherever he goes. Tubiana and Franc have done a splendid job of retelling this story and also showing the complexities of the guard - inmate 'relationship', how race relations show (El-Gharani tells of how some of the Black and Latino guards were nicer and more helpful, and also how he hears the N-word for the first time and so on) and how a world under Pax Americana is treating somebody that has been tortured. As someone said after his release, "The Americans wouldn't imprison someone for nothing". El-Gharani's activism (what Tubiana calls guerilla warfare) in prison costs him a lot but Tubiana and Franc show at the same time how the human beings in GTMO are not just passive victims; they find creative ways to oppose and demand their rights even within the walls of torture. In one passage (which could be seen as a spoiler, so SPOILER ALERT), El-Gharani tells of how he threw his feces and urine on the guards, or how they would scream "Number Two", and force the guards to continually come to the cells and take away their buckets ("Number Two" was what the inmates were supposed to scream when their buckets needed to be emptied).
December 20, 2019
Horrifying, sad, and shameful story about Mohammed El-Gharani, one of the youngest detainees at Guantanamo. He was born in Saudi Arabia to Chadian parents. The Saudis wouldn't allow him to go to school since he was not a native in their eyes, so as a teenager, he went to Pakistan to study computers. Then 9/11 happened. The U.S. was looking for suspects. The Pakistanis rounded up "suspects," including Mohammed El-Gharani, and sold them to the U.S. He was 14. He was in Guantanamo for eight years, suffering unimaginable torture, and having no contact with a lawyer or the outside world, including his family, for years. He was finally assisted by a group called Reprieve, from the UK, who were able to have him deemed innocent by a U.S. District Court judge in D.C. He was not immediately released. They had to find a country that would accept him. He was finally released to Chad, a country he did not know. He somehow was able to survive and build a life for himself, but then would be questioned, harassed, imprisoned again, going on the run again, starting over in a new country, and then more of the same. He now has a family of his own, but sadly, he, and now his wife and kids, are still on the run, looking for a place that will finally accept him.
September 1, 2019
What a horrific mess of a the true story of an impoverished, innocent kid (14) sold as a "terrorist" to the US government and imprisoned in Gitmo for 8 years. Once released, his saga continues--there are no happy endings here.
I think this story was important, and the telling of it was interesting, but there were parts that felt too compressed. I also recognize that it's an ongoing life/story, it's messy, and it's hard to select what to include and what to leave. I think the afterward was toughest to follow.
It's a solid introduction to an awful, but vital, story about what happens to people when we disregard proper procedures and human rights. Mohammed's story didn't just show the negative effect for him, it also dealt with how the US soldiers around him were impacted negatively by their involvement.
I don't know how someone begins to go about losing their adolescence and part of their young adulthood to an unjust imprisonment, the consequences of which are never rectified. This book is a good glimpse into that for those of us who are, by luck of birth and circumstance, free of such trials.
I think this story was important, and the telling of it was interesting, but there were parts that felt too compressed. I also recognize that it's an ongoing life/story, it's messy, and it's hard to select what to include and what to leave. I think the afterward was toughest to follow.
It's a solid introduction to an awful, but vital, story about what happens to people when we disregard proper procedures and human rights. Mohammed's story didn't just show the negative effect for him, it also dealt with how the US soldiers around him were impacted negatively by their involvement.
I don't know how someone begins to go about losing their adolescence and part of their young adulthood to an unjust imprisonment, the consequences of which are never rectified. This book is a good glimpse into that for those of us who are, by luck of birth and circumstance, free of such trials.
November 21, 2024
An absolutely gut-wrenching read. I was in high school when the infamous images emerged from Guantanamo Bay but I had no idea the full extent of the torture and injustice that was inflicted on innocent adults and even children! It made me sick to my stomach to read but its important to learn about this black mark on the U. S. Even as I'm writing this Guantanamo Bay is still open and operating! Shut it down!
June 24, 2023
Onwaarschijnlijk wat deze jongen heeft meegemaakt (en blijft meemaken; zie epiloog...).
Graphic novels zijn het ideale medium om dergelijke verhalen aan een groot publiek kenbaar te maken.
Guantanamo is vandaag (2023) nog steeds niet gesloten ...
Graphic novels zijn het ideale medium om dergelijke verhalen aan een groot publiek kenbaar te maken.
Guantanamo is vandaag (2023) nog steeds niet gesloten ...
September 22, 2024
"Tu étais au mauvais moment au mauvais endroit..."
September 28, 2019
After the 9/11 attacks, at the age of 14, Mohammed El-Gharani was arrested, labelled a terrorist, sold to the American’s by Pakistan and transported to Guantánamo Bay prison camp indefinitely. He was one of the youngest ever to be held prisoner there and it took eight years for his innocence to be recognised and he was released - all for being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Guantánamo Kid tells the story of Mohammed El-Gharani's experiences of life in the camp, from daily torture and interrogation, to brainwashing, blackmail and racism. These are things no-one should go through but at such a young age, it is heartbreaking. Jérôme Tubiana’s narrative and Alexandre Franc’s illustrations make Mohammed’s story come alive in such a unique way that allows the reader to engage with his story on an even more emotional level. I truly recommend everyone to read this book, especially if you are a lover of graphic novels like Persepolis or have a fascination to understand more about prisoners of war and injustice.
Since 2002, the camp has seen around 780 prisoners of war and when this book was written, 40 still remain there. Guantánamo has a reputation for rendition and torture, violating internationally agreed standards of human rights and justice. Last year, Trump announced the camp would remain open indefinitely and, after reading this, that seems frankly unacceptable.
Guantánamo Kid tells the story of Mohammed El-Gharani's experiences of life in the camp, from daily torture and interrogation, to brainwashing, blackmail and racism. These are things no-one should go through but at such a young age, it is heartbreaking. Jérôme Tubiana’s narrative and Alexandre Franc’s illustrations make Mohammed’s story come alive in such a unique way that allows the reader to engage with his story on an even more emotional level. I truly recommend everyone to read this book, especially if you are a lover of graphic novels like Persepolis or have a fascination to understand more about prisoners of war and injustice.
Since 2002, the camp has seen around 780 prisoners of war and when this book was written, 40 still remain there. Guantánamo has a reputation for rendition and torture, violating internationally agreed standards of human rights and justice. Last year, Trump announced the camp would remain open indefinitely and, after reading this, that seems frankly unacceptable.
March 10, 2022
Well narrated, and illustrated.
February 25, 2023
Appalling true story, unfathomably cruel and stupid behavior from every authority involved.
Many stories of unlawful captivity center around the way a victim feels silenced and powerless - Mohammed certainly had that option, but at every turn he chooses to go out kicking and screaming. He took more negative attention and torture for it, but the results are clear - making noise can get you results. That goes doubly so for doing it in solidarity with others in your same position.
Knowing that is one thing - putting it into practice when you know you're going to get your shit kicked in is another thing entirely. Mohammed's courage is something to aspire to.
The graphic novel format isn't super generous to this story - there's a ton of text and the images rarely supplement the experience. A doc or a straight book would have worked more effectively imo.
Many stories of unlawful captivity center around the way a victim feels silenced and powerless - Mohammed certainly had that option, but at every turn he chooses to go out kicking and screaming. He took more negative attention and torture for it, but the results are clear - making noise can get you results. That goes doubly so for doing it in solidarity with others in your same position.
Knowing that is one thing - putting it into practice when you know you're going to get your shit kicked in is another thing entirely. Mohammed's courage is something to aspire to.
The graphic novel format isn't super generous to this story - there's a ton of text and the images rarely supplement the experience. A doc or a straight book would have worked more effectively imo.
September 8, 2019
Ugh. This book makes me sad to be a citizen of the United States. The blatant disregard for fact during the pursuit of some sort of cowboy justice is heartbreaking. Mohammed El-Gharani was a kid trying to make a future for himself when he leaves Saudi Arabia for Pakistan to study English and IT. Then September 11, 2001 happened and any brown skinned boy was automatically thought to be a terrorist. Pakistan sold Mohammed to the US government and the US government tried for over eight years to claim he was a terrorist cell member. They threw him in Guantanamo Bay and proceeded to torture him for information he never had. The government misled him and outright lied to him and conspired against him when Mohammed was finally released. All of this is backed up by Wikileaks so there’s another reason why I still support Julian Assange. It’s a shameful chapter of American history, made more shameful because of the sinking feeling and innate knowledge that this happened to more than just Mohammed. And it’s shameful that, despite President Obama’s campaign promises, Guantanamo remains open and President Trump has signed an executive order to keep it open indefinitely.
November 23, 2021
Young Mohammed El-Gharani is in the wrong place at the wrong time when he’s detained and sold to the American government. The 14-year-old was in Pakistan trying to go to school, which he didn’t have access to as a Chadian in Saudi Arabia. He then spends seven years captive in Guantánamo Bay, interrogated and tortured by American agents who refuse to accept his innocence and insist he’s a member of Al-Qaida, which he’s never even heard of. Guantánamo Kid tells the story of one of the youngest detainees, what he endured, and how he riled up others to cause change at the camp.
From True Crime Comics That Aren’t About Serial Killers at Book Riot.
From True Crime Comics That Aren’t About Serial Killers at Book Riot.
November 17, 2019
Story of resistance from inside the imfamous Guantanamo prison, America's own circle of hell. El-Gharani's story needs to be seen & heard in the u.s. because the actual identities of the real people imprisoned in guantanamo are forgotten or don't warrant a mention in American news media & official pronouncements. This story also highlights that even in the national security establishment's own terms, the idea that the USA needs an island prison to keep all the baddest guys (and keep them out of the justice system) is idiotic. The notes at the end detailing El-Gharani's subsequent tribulations & adventures is also worth reading.
January 27, 2019
A gorgeously drawn story about a very ugly subject. Mohammed El-Gharani is a hero and what he and other falsely-accused victims of political maneuvering suffered and continue to suffer is a great stain on the reputation of the United States.
January 12, 2019
Every American should know how our government has ruined the lives of innocent people.
March 12, 2021
This is a graphic novel that explores what lead up to people being imprisoned in Guantanamo after the September 11th attacks. This is the true story of a young man who was falsely imprisoned and what life was like for him during the 6 years of his imprisonment.
When Mohammed El-Gharani was 14 years old, he was looking for a way to make a better life for himself and his family. He left his new home in Saudi Arabia to study English in Pakistan. In order to leave the country, he had to change his name and birthdate for his passport because he was not able to travel alone as a minor. Not long after arriving, he was arrested going to a mosque and was later transferred to Guantanamo Bay. He was one of the youngest prisoners in the illegal camp and somehow, he survived.
Even though I had heard some news stories about the camp at Guantanamo, I didn't not really understand what was going on. I guess you could call it selective knowledge, but I was much younger and these things seemed so much bigger than me. I now understand how horrible the conditions were for those who were sent here. I think we always hope that these things can't happen because we believe in the overall good of America, but even America has some skeletons that shock us when they come to light.
This graphic adaptation of E.-Gharani's story is a heavy content to read. I don't know this will appeal to a large audience, but I do know it is a necessary story that needs to be told. I would have to put a disclaimer on this book about adult content but I think that could be expected from the topic. There is quite a bit of language, violence, and torture. The book also contains a lot of the original documentation and stories of other people who were housed in the camp. I gave a lower rating simply because I found the content too heavy at times to feel as though it should be a graphic. This is not one that I was overwhelmed with but still very good.
When Mohammed El-Gharani was 14 years old, he was looking for a way to make a better life for himself and his family. He left his new home in Saudi Arabia to study English in Pakistan. In order to leave the country, he had to change his name and birthdate for his passport because he was not able to travel alone as a minor. Not long after arriving, he was arrested going to a mosque and was later transferred to Guantanamo Bay. He was one of the youngest prisoners in the illegal camp and somehow, he survived.
Even though I had heard some news stories about the camp at Guantanamo, I didn't not really understand what was going on. I guess you could call it selective knowledge, but I was much younger and these things seemed so much bigger than me. I now understand how horrible the conditions were for those who were sent here. I think we always hope that these things can't happen because we believe in the overall good of America, but even America has some skeletons that shock us when they come to light.
This graphic adaptation of E.-Gharani's story is a heavy content to read. I don't know this will appeal to a large audience, but I do know it is a necessary story that needs to be told. I would have to put a disclaimer on this book about adult content but I think that could be expected from the topic. There is quite a bit of language, violence, and torture. The book also contains a lot of the original documentation and stories of other people who were housed in the camp. I gave a lower rating simply because I found the content too heavy at times to feel as though it should be a graphic. This is not one that I was overwhelmed with but still very good.
December 7, 2021
Two graphic novels consisting of biographies from Guantanamo, have added more to my knowledge of the prison's horrors. The Guantanamo Kid goes beyond Mohammed el-Gharani's release from Gitmo to clearly show that realese from Guantanamo is never freedom.
El-Gharani was a young teen in Medina in Saudi Arabia when he and a friend were enterprising enough to come up with a way to better themselves. 14 year old Mohammed would travel to Pakistan where he could learn English and IT then return in 6 months to start a business repairing computers.
Two months after he arrived Mohammed was picked up as a terroristan thrown in a Pakistani jail. He was unaware that the terrorist attack in the United States of 9.11 had occurred and that the locals were grabbing strangers and selling them to the US for $5000 as terrorists. He was only 14.
Much of his case centered around a terrorist group it was alleged he belonged to in London. This would have happened when Mohammed was only 6 years old, way before he had ever been anywhere other than Chad or Saudi Arabia.
The conditions in the prisons he spent time in were horrible. Torture was the name of the game. Not just in Guantanamo, but also in other places he was sent, and still more after he was finally released. Just think of everything you imagine, and you would be right.
Mohammed was defiant throughout his time in Gitmo, and since he spent most of his adolescence there, he was good at defiance.
What I learned from Guantanamo Voices as well as Guantanamo Kid, is that no one is released as cleared of a crime, and no one is allowed to return to the country they started in. In Mohammed's case, Saudi Arabia. Since you still carry the label of terrorist, rightly or wrongly, you are never truly free.
I recommend both of these nonfiction graphic "novels" for a quick look and understanding of our collective shame and the horror we are still allowing to happen.
El-Gharani was a young teen in Medina in Saudi Arabia when he and a friend were enterprising enough to come up with a way to better themselves. 14 year old Mohammed would travel to Pakistan where he could learn English and IT then return in 6 months to start a business repairing computers.
Two months after he arrived Mohammed was picked up as a terroristan thrown in a Pakistani jail. He was unaware that the terrorist attack in the United States of 9.11 had occurred and that the locals were grabbing strangers and selling them to the US for $5000 as terrorists. He was only 14.
Much of his case centered around a terrorist group it was alleged he belonged to in London. This would have happened when Mohammed was only 6 years old, way before he had ever been anywhere other than Chad or Saudi Arabia.
The conditions in the prisons he spent time in were horrible. Torture was the name of the game. Not just in Guantanamo, but also in other places he was sent, and still more after he was finally released. Just think of everything you imagine, and you would be right.
Mohammed was defiant throughout his time in Gitmo, and since he spent most of his adolescence there, he was good at defiance.
What I learned from Guantanamo Voices as well as Guantanamo Kid, is that no one is released as cleared of a crime, and no one is allowed to return to the country they started in. In Mohammed's case, Saudi Arabia. Since you still carry the label of terrorist, rightly or wrongly, you are never truly free.
I recommend both of these nonfiction graphic "novels" for a quick look and understanding of our collective shame and the horror we are still allowing to happen.
February 21, 2025
And today’s pick is Guantánamo Kid: The True Story of Mohammed El-Gharani by Jérôme Tubiana and Alexandre Franc. Originally published in 2018 by a French publisher. it was translated to English and published in 2019 by Self Made Hero. Endorsed by Amnesty International.
Content notes for: 9/11, harm to children, lots of torture, n-word, nudity, and suicide.
A heavy read, the torture is described but not shown in detail on the page.
Looking at the creative team we have writer Jérôme Tubiana. Flipping to the back of the book, he is described as an independent journalist and researcher with a focus on “conflicts and migrations in the Sahel and the Horn of Africa”. Online search brings up work with Al Jazeera, The London Review of Books, he’s written reports for the United States Institute of Peace and been an operational advisor for Doctors Without Borders.
And we have art by French artist Alexandre Franc. Although work he has illustrated and/or written include Agatha: The Real Story of Agatha Christie, Extinctions: Twilight of the Species, Evolution: Darwin, God and the Horse-People and much more.
What kinds of keywords came to mind: inhumane, anti-state, coming of age, community, faith, shit disturber, and manipulation.
“Saudi Arabia offers few prospects for the bright young Mohammed El-Gharani. With roots in Chad, Mohammed is treated like a second-class citizen. His access to healthcare and education are restricted; nor can he make the most of his entrepreneurial spirit. At the age of 14, having scraped together some money as a street trader, Mohammed seizes an opportunity to study in Pakistan. One Friday in Karachi, Mohammed is detained during a raid on his local mosque. After being beaten and interrogated, he is sold to the American government by the Pakistani forces as a member of Al-Qaida with links to Osama Bin Laden, but Mohammed has heard of neither. The Americans fly him first to Kandahar and then to Guantánamo Bay.”
Starting with the art. I will admit that at first my expectations were not particularly high. The style is lightly cartoonish black and white with fairly straight forward page layouts. As I read through Guantanamo Kid however I became very impressed with the nuance Franc brought to the narrative. Moving the level of cartoonishness up and down to match the ridiculousness of the evil being enacted. There were visual metaphors and symbolism. And the text was nicely spread out and broken down into easy to consume chunks.
Similarly I found the writing to be extremely good in all the ways I could think to test it. Although that certainly is not all encompassing.
To start with, I was struck by how respected and relatable Mohammad felt throughout the book. Not someone to be pitied, not a thin shadow to act as inspiration-porn, or a monstrous other. Mohammad is a young muslim boy whose family moved from the Congo to Medina to be close to this spiritual centre. They are excluded by the state of Saudi Arabia but have family and community.
Moving into his time in Guantanamo Bay, I appreciated how the resistance of Mohammed and his comrades was highlighted in such detail. Obviously this book is nonfiction, but in my media consumption I have come across far too many stories that turned the enslaved, enprisoned and otherwise appressed into passive objects in need of saving. When revolutions, revolts, escapes, and strikes all say otherwise.
I will note that Guantanamo Kid does not do something I generally appreciate in nonfiction. Namely, the author himself is not at all present in the main body of the book and his perspective is not necessarily articulated outright. I do feel like Jerome’s perspective is pretty obvious, although my own personal bias is certainly playing a roll in this because I went into this book agreeing with it. There is also a pretty wide range of reportage on Guantanamo that agree on what we might call the facts of the situation. That said I did really appreciate the final section that was only text and explained further how Jerome and Mohammed crossed paths, the interview process that went into making the book, and updates from Mohammed’s life after the graphic novel concluded.
Looking at the intersections of identitiy I examine in each of my reviews.
Disability actually got a lot of air time. Before Guantanamo Mohammad’s father is disabled while he is fairly young and after Mohammad is forced to smuggle himself into different countries to get medical care to help him recover from torture. While in Guantanamo we also have some insight into how the community took care of each other. Some people were not on the frontline of resistance to the guards because they were more physically fragile.
Race is obviously another important aspect of the narrative alongside dialect, country of origin, citizenship, class and many other ways we divide each other up and make the other more monstrous. In my ignorance I was not aware that any of the detainees were Black. Moving from Mohammad’s detention in Pakistan to Guantanamo we see the death of his naiveté and induction into the American flavor of both anti-Black racism and Black culture. And while Mohammad’s residence is always despite the state, after his release in particular Jerome is sure to dive into all the ways in which Mohammad is displaced and without an easy homeland.
Human sexuality was horribly mostly explored in the ways it was used to humiliate and torture Mohammad and other detainees. Although we do have the briefest mention of polygamy at the end of the epilogue as Mohammad does go on to marry two women.
And finally, gender was again not really a focus of the story beyond the basics unescapables. That said, because it is a thing I like to harp on about, I did appreciate the very clear depiction of not only men working at Guantanamo but also women, as some people suffer under the notion that people who appear to have XY chromosomes are intrinsically nicer.
Wrapping things up. Obviously I generally try and steer away from language that implies that anything is a universal must read. But this time around it is sorely tempting. With 30 people still locked up in Guantanamo it’s still incredibly important for people to be fully aware of the kind of shit that so called america has perpetrated there. And obviously I do feel like there’s stuff to learn here that can impact how we see other things that imperialist powers do. Five stars if you didn’t already guess.
Content notes for: 9/11, harm to children, lots of torture, n-word, nudity, and suicide.
A heavy read, the torture is described but not shown in detail on the page.
Looking at the creative team we have writer Jérôme Tubiana. Flipping to the back of the book, he is described as an independent journalist and researcher with a focus on “conflicts and migrations in the Sahel and the Horn of Africa”. Online search brings up work with Al Jazeera, The London Review of Books, he’s written reports for the United States Institute of Peace and been an operational advisor for Doctors Without Borders.
And we have art by French artist Alexandre Franc. Although work he has illustrated and/or written include Agatha: The Real Story of Agatha Christie, Extinctions: Twilight of the Species, Evolution: Darwin, God and the Horse-People and much more.
What kinds of keywords came to mind: inhumane, anti-state, coming of age, community, faith, shit disturber, and manipulation.
“Saudi Arabia offers few prospects for the bright young Mohammed El-Gharani. With roots in Chad, Mohammed is treated like a second-class citizen. His access to healthcare and education are restricted; nor can he make the most of his entrepreneurial spirit. At the age of 14, having scraped together some money as a street trader, Mohammed seizes an opportunity to study in Pakistan. One Friday in Karachi, Mohammed is detained during a raid on his local mosque. After being beaten and interrogated, he is sold to the American government by the Pakistani forces as a member of Al-Qaida with links to Osama Bin Laden, but Mohammed has heard of neither. The Americans fly him first to Kandahar and then to Guantánamo Bay.”
Starting with the art. I will admit that at first my expectations were not particularly high. The style is lightly cartoonish black and white with fairly straight forward page layouts. As I read through Guantanamo Kid however I became very impressed with the nuance Franc brought to the narrative. Moving the level of cartoonishness up and down to match the ridiculousness of the evil being enacted. There were visual metaphors and symbolism. And the text was nicely spread out and broken down into easy to consume chunks.
Similarly I found the writing to be extremely good in all the ways I could think to test it. Although that certainly is not all encompassing.
To start with, I was struck by how respected and relatable Mohammad felt throughout the book. Not someone to be pitied, not a thin shadow to act as inspiration-porn, or a monstrous other. Mohammad is a young muslim boy whose family moved from the Congo to Medina to be close to this spiritual centre. They are excluded by the state of Saudi Arabia but have family and community.
Moving into his time in Guantanamo Bay, I appreciated how the resistance of Mohammed and his comrades was highlighted in such detail. Obviously this book is nonfiction, but in my media consumption I have come across far too many stories that turned the enslaved, enprisoned and otherwise appressed into passive objects in need of saving. When revolutions, revolts, escapes, and strikes all say otherwise.
I will note that Guantanamo Kid does not do something I generally appreciate in nonfiction. Namely, the author himself is not at all present in the main body of the book and his perspective is not necessarily articulated outright. I do feel like Jerome’s perspective is pretty obvious, although my own personal bias is certainly playing a roll in this because I went into this book agreeing with it. There is also a pretty wide range of reportage on Guantanamo that agree on what we might call the facts of the situation. That said I did really appreciate the final section that was only text and explained further how Jerome and Mohammed crossed paths, the interview process that went into making the book, and updates from Mohammed’s life after the graphic novel concluded.
Looking at the intersections of identitiy I examine in each of my reviews.
Disability actually got a lot of air time. Before Guantanamo Mohammad’s father is disabled while he is fairly young and after Mohammad is forced to smuggle himself into different countries to get medical care to help him recover from torture. While in Guantanamo we also have some insight into how the community took care of each other. Some people were not on the frontline of resistance to the guards because they were more physically fragile.
Race is obviously another important aspect of the narrative alongside dialect, country of origin, citizenship, class and many other ways we divide each other up and make the other more monstrous. In my ignorance I was not aware that any of the detainees were Black. Moving from Mohammad’s detention in Pakistan to Guantanamo we see the death of his naiveté and induction into the American flavor of both anti-Black racism and Black culture. And while Mohammad’s residence is always despite the state, after his release in particular Jerome is sure to dive into all the ways in which Mohammad is displaced and without an easy homeland.
Human sexuality was horribly mostly explored in the ways it was used to humiliate and torture Mohammad and other detainees. Although we do have the briefest mention of polygamy at the end of the epilogue as Mohammad does go on to marry two women.
And finally, gender was again not really a focus of the story beyond the basics unescapables. That said, because it is a thing I like to harp on about, I did appreciate the very clear depiction of not only men working at Guantanamo but also women, as some people suffer under the notion that people who appear to have XY chromosomes are intrinsically nicer.
Wrapping things up. Obviously I generally try and steer away from language that implies that anything is a universal must read. But this time around it is sorely tempting. With 30 people still locked up in Guantanamo it’s still incredibly important for people to be fully aware of the kind of shit that so called america has perpetrated there. And obviously I do feel like there’s stuff to learn here that can impact how we see other things that imperialist powers do. Five stars if you didn’t already guess.
March 11, 2020
L'histoire vraie de Mohammed El-Gorani, ce jeune saoudien de 13 ans parti au Pakistan pour apprendre l'anglais et l'informatique, qui se retrouve accusé à tort de terrorisme et envoyé à Guantanamo. Mineur parmi les adultes, il y sera torturé, humilié, trahi, avant d'être libéré huit ans plus tard.
Malheureusement, sa réputation lui collera à la peau, il ne pourra retourner dans son pays auprès de sa famille et se retrouvera condamner à finir sa vie au Tchad, constamment surveillé par les services de renseignements.
Les dessins sont en noir et blanc, assez austères, le texte très présent. Cela peut freiner mais l'histoire de Mohammed El-Gorani mérite d'être racontée, connue de tous.
Sans tomber dans le manichéisme mais en décrivant de façon honnête les diverses relations entre prisonniers, avec les gardes, les avocats, l'extérieur, les conditions de détention et le retour à la vie normale après la prison, la bande dessinée offre une immersion glaçante dans la vie de prisonnier.
L'après libération m'a particulièrement émue, j'ai été touchée par le sort cruel réservé à Mohammed El-Gorani, par la continuité de son enfermement bien au-delà des murs de Guantanamo.
Un témoignage important dénonçant le traitement réservé aux présumés coupables de terrorisme, le racisme omniprésent, l'hypocrisie des politiques.
Malheureusement, sa réputation lui collera à la peau, il ne pourra retourner dans son pays auprès de sa famille et se retrouvera condamner à finir sa vie au Tchad, constamment surveillé par les services de renseignements.
Les dessins sont en noir et blanc, assez austères, le texte très présent. Cela peut freiner mais l'histoire de Mohammed El-Gorani mérite d'être racontée, connue de tous.
Sans tomber dans le manichéisme mais en décrivant de façon honnête les diverses relations entre prisonniers, avec les gardes, les avocats, l'extérieur, les conditions de détention et le retour à la vie normale après la prison, la bande dessinée offre une immersion glaçante dans la vie de prisonnier.
L'après libération m'a particulièrement émue, j'ai été touchée par le sort cruel réservé à Mohammed El-Gorani, par la continuité de son enfermement bien au-delà des murs de Guantanamo.
Un témoignage important dénonçant le traitement réservé aux présumés coupables de terrorisme, le racisme omniprésent, l'hypocrisie des politiques.
January 31, 2020
This graphic novel follows the story of Mohammed El-Gharani, a Chadian who grew up in Saudi Arabia. He was arrested in Pakistan, where he had gone to study, at the age of 14, and then sold to the Americans for $5,000. They proceeded to hold him in the notorious prison Guantanamo, where they tortured him and tried to extract false confessions and fabricated evidence for more than seven years. El-Gharani caused a lot of trouble in prison, leading resistance actions amongst the inmates, and somehow holding onto his faith. He is framed for the reader as strong, angry, resilient, and innocent.
The art is solid, in a clear black and white style. The story itself is good but I docked stars because the afterword, a key component in properly understanding the story, is disjointed and the timelines nearly impossible to follow.
I recommend this book if you like graphic novels and want a wake up call regarding some of the terrible things our governments do in the name of international security and counter terrorism.
The art is solid, in a clear black and white style. The story itself is good but I docked stars because the afterword, a key component in properly understanding the story, is disjointed and the timelines nearly impossible to follow.
I recommend this book if you like graphic novels and want a wake up call regarding some of the terrible things our governments do in the name of international security and counter terrorism.
July 1, 2025
Infiniment frustrant et injuste, je n’arrive pas à croire que tout le monde est au courant de l’innocence de cet homme mais qu’ils le laissent croupir avec sa famille quelque part. Cette histoire est complètement folle. Emprisonner des gens sans preuves juste parce qu’ils ont un accent saoudiens alors qu’ils sont en guerre contre l’Irak?!?!? De plus, trouver sa vrai identité est beaucoup plus simple que d’enfermer des innocents dans des conditions de détentions extrêmes. Aucunes excuses, voici un exemple des conséquences de la super puissance américaine et de la peur envers l’islam.
En plus elle est encore ouverte et bien sûr Trump veut y faire interner jusqu’à 30 000 migrants ????? Encore un exemple de la paradoxalité des politiques: une prison illégale pour y faire interner des hommes ayant soit disant fait des actes illégaux (aucun procès).
En plus elle est encore ouverte et bien sûr Trump veut y faire interner jusqu’à 30 000 migrants ????? Encore un exemple de la paradoxalité des politiques: une prison illégale pour y faire interner des hommes ayant soit disant fait des actes illégaux (aucun procès).
Displaying 1 - 30 of 85 reviews