|
FIVE YEARS OF MY LIFE -- AN INNOCENT MAN IN GUANTANAMO |
|
The Gripping Account of an Innocent Man Held Prisoner In Afghanistan and Guantanamo for Five Years A Turkish citizen born and raised in Germany, Murat Kurnaz was only nineteen when, in October 2001, he traveled to Pakistan to study the Koran and learn more about his Muslim faith. A few weeks later, on the day that he was scheduled to return home, Kurnaz was taken off a bus at a police checkpoint and arrested without explanation. After being held in Pakistani jails for several days, Kurnaz was handed over to the U.S. military and transported to an American base in Kandahar, Afghanistan. Two months later, he was taken to Guantanamo, where he was registered as prisoner #61. For more than 1,600 days, Kurnaz lived through hell. He was kept in a small mesh-wire cage and endured brutal daily interrogations, unspeakable abuse, sexual humiliation, solitary confinement, sleep deprivation, and other forms of torture. Despite his best efforts to communicate his innocence, Kurnaz was charged as an "enemy combatant" by a Guantanamo Tribunal in September 2004. Finally, in August 2006, without explanation or apology, Kurnaz was released and returned to his family in Germany. Throughout his ordeal, he maintained his indefatigable faith and will to live. Told with lucidity, precision, wisdom, and wit, Kurnaz's story of struggle and survival is both sobering and poignant. Beyond its importance as a testimony of the horrors of Guantanamo, Five Years of My Life is an inspiring account of the endurance of the human spirit. "Murat Kurnaz's story will leave you both moved and outraged at the injustice of imprisoning innocent men without due process of law." -- Jonathan Hafetz, Litigation Director, Liberty & National Security Project, Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law
Murat Kurnaz is a Turkish citizen and legal resident of Germany, where he was born in 1982. He was in the process of becoming a German citizen when he was arrested in Pakistan and held prisoner for five years. He now lives in Germany. Praise for Five Years of My Life "The most
compassionate, truthful, and dignified account of the disgrace of
Guantanamo that you are ever likely to read." "I thank God that Murat kept his sanity in the hell of injustice and
torture in
Guantanamo so he could tell his story. May it be studied in every school
and college
around the world. May it help to close down all the illegal and secret
prisons
and camps, as well as Guantanamo, and restore the prisoners to their
families.
I am sure Murat's book will educate a whole generation about justice and
the
defense of human rights." "Five Years of My Life inspiringly demonstrates that, even in the face of
great
injustice, human dignity can shine through. Kurnaz, one of the many
victims of
the war on terrorism, delivers a powerful firsthand account of the
abuses
at Guantanamo, which should serve as a wake-up call for all those who
value
freedom." "Murat makes the horrors and inanities of Guantanamo so real; his voice
is by
turns young and headstrong, wry and wise. Murat's mother came to the
United
States to hear our first Guantanamo case argued before the Supreme Court
back
in 2004 -- when I met her, I didn't know whether she would ever see her son
again. Now he is safe at home and has produced this riveting and moving
account of his torture and abuse at the hands of the U.S. government to
shine a
light in a dark place and try to help all those still languishing
without hope. This
is a must read." "Like many of the men imprisoned in Guantanamo, Murat Kurnaz was held for
years without proper charge or trial. After intensive campaigning by his
friends,
family, and Amnesty International members all over the world, he was
finally
released. This book is a profound and detailed account of his
experiences. After
suffering torture and detention without trial, it is a testament to his
great
strength of character that he is able to tell his story with such power
and clarity." "A powerful and gripping account of one man's life in America's infamous
prison
beyond the law at Guantanamo Bay. Murat Kurnaz's story will leave you
both
moved and outraged at the injustice of imprisoning innocent men without
due
process of law." "Kumaz recounts his woes, and those of his fellow prisoners, with
modesty and
compassion. ... He has written a measured and readable account, which is
often
even humorous in a Swiftian sort of way." "Harrowing. ... Kurnaz vivifies his grim experiences with an excellent
memory
and eye for detail, as well as some humorous asides (remarkable,
considering the
circumstances). ... A vital document that should -- rightly -- shock and
appall."
|
