Detainees were not allowed to talk to each other, but we enjoyed looking at each other. The punishment for talking was hanging the detainee by his hands with the feet barely touching the ground.
Mohamedou Ould SlahiRead
Everything a detainee says is classified. Detainees cannot talk to you. They cannot talk to anyone. They cannot challenge, in a meaningful way, their detention. All that is left is for people who survived Guantanamo Bay to speak for people who are left behind, and speak for those who are in so many Guantanamos, plural, in my part of the world.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote highlights the silenced voices of detainees and the importance of speaking up for those unable to do so.
In this quote, Mohamedou Ould Slahi emphasizes the dire situation of detainees who are stripped of their voice and agency, particularly in places like Guantanamo Bay. He calls attention to the broader systemic issues faced by similar individuals worldwide, advocating for the necessity of those who have endured such experiences to share their stories and advocate for the marginalized who continue to suffer in silence.
Themes
DetaineesSilenced VoicesHuman RightsGuantanamo BayAdvocacy
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used in a speech advocating for human rights reforms.
More from Mohamedou Ould Slahi
All quotes βI have never felt as violated in myself as I had since the DoD team started to torture me to get me admit to things I haven't done.
Mohamedou Ould SlahiRead
Similar quotes
The reality is that no group of countries has any grounds for complacency about its own human rights performance and no group of countries does itself justice by automatically slipping into the "victim" mode . . . .
Kofi AnnanRead
In the Saudi system, women are considered inferior. No matter our age, we have male guardians. We must get permission from men to attend school, to work, to marry, to travel overseas - even to have basic medical procedures.
Manal Al-SharifRead
All that I can tell you is, that I used my humble powers to the uttermost, and raised my voice in behalf of Human Rights in general, and the elevation and Rights of Woman in particular, nearly all my life.
Ernestine RoseRead
Gay rights are human rights, there is no separation.
MacklemoreRead
Violence against women in all its forms is a human rights violation. It's not something that any culture, religion or tradition propagates.
Michelle BacheletRead
While the One Child Policy has been effective in drastically reducing Chinese birth rates, the measures adopted in its name have required exhaustive, violent, insidious and systemic violations of human rights.
Kerry KennedyRead