The Mauritanian (2021) recounts Mohamedou Ould Slahi’s nightmare journey of secret rendition, torture, and detention at Guantanamo Bay—an odyssey that lasted 15 years, until Mr. Slahi was finally released in 2016, never having been charged with a crime. The film is based on the book, Guantanamo Diary, which Mr. Slahi wrote and had published while still a prisoner at Guantanamo. The book became a critically acclaimed international bestseller. The film was directed by Kevin Macdonald and features Tahar Rahim as Mohamedou Slahi, Jodie Foster as Nancy Hollander, Mr. Slahi’s lead lawyer, Shailene Woodley as Teri Duncan, her co-counsel, and Benedict Cumberbatch as Ltn. Col. Stuart Couch, the military officer assigned to prosecute Mr. Slahi. The film was nominated for and won numerous awards, including a Golden Globe for Jodi Foster’s portrayal of Nancy Hollander. Our guests are Mohamedou Slahi, the former Guantanamo prisoner and now world-famous author, and Nancy Hollander, Mohamedou’s attorney and a leading criminal defense attorney.
Timestamps:
0:00. Introduction
7:11 Mohamedou’s nightmare begins
10:47 What law?
12:43 Habeas petition granted, but imprisonment continues
18:51 Endless interrogations
25:19 Mohamedou first hears he will face the death penalty
28:08 Military prosecutor Stuart Couch takes a stand against torture
32:19 Writing Guantanamo Diary in a new language
34:34 “My life, 24/7 in darkness”
37:01 “I have a vow of kindness”
38:59: Getting Mohamedou’s story out of Guantanamo
43:33 Mohamedou sees his book’s success on Russian TV at Guantanamo
48:17 The freedom that is inside you
49:48 An advocate for Mohamedou before the Periodic Review Board
50:57 “I needed a miracle”
53:26 Americans are supposed to be the good guys
56:29 The near impossibility of leaving Guantanamo
58:41 Mohamedou and his former guard, and friend, Steve Wood
1:00:52 Don’t give up; miracles can happen
1:02:49 The long shadow of Guantanamo
1:04:02 To be free again
1:06:26 Capturing the small details about Guantanamo
1:08:31 A small nit about the film
1:11:14 What it’s like to see yourself being portrayed on screen
Further reading:
Bravin, Jess, “The Conscience of the Colonel,” Wall St. J. (Mar. 31, 2007)
Coll, Steven, “An Eloquent Voice from Guantánamo,” N.Y.R.B. (Jan. 14, 2016)
Hafetz, Jonathan, Habeas Corpus after 9/11: Confronting America’s New Global Detention System (2011)
Rosenberg, Carol, “The Legacy of America’s Post-9/11 Turn to Torture,” N.Y. Times (Sept. 12. 2021)
Slahi, Mohamedou Ould, Guantámao Diary (Larry Siems, ed.) (2015)
Law on Film is created and produced by Jonathan Hafetz. Jonathan is a professor at Seton Hall Law School. He has written many books and articles about the law. He has litigated important cases to protect civil liberties and human rights while working at the ACLU and other organizations. Jonathan is a huge film buff and has been watching, studying, and talking about movies for as long as he can remember.
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