Testimony to Witness to Guantanamo (Haj Boudella)

Helpless

[Interviewer: is there something you could describe as the worst experience of being in Guantanamo?] The first period was terrifying especially all the things that they have... He mentioned that before: the treatment and the torture and everything. But the picture that is still in his mind, he mentioned, is the picture of [a] young man who came from Afghanistan. He lost his leg. The blood was still, you know, the wound is not, you know, it’s still fresh. In the night they light up the lights and everything and the soldiers came into his cell and they were hitting him. And he was wounded... Why? He didn’t, he couldn’t do anything to them. He was wounded. He, without his leg... That picture is still fresh in his memory.

Also, there was one of the detainees that was next to his cell. He was very very ill. He had certain illness before. He was crying for help all night. Lying on the floor and like, you know, when the person is that... He [Mr. Boudella] was very sad that he could not provide him with anything. He was calling “please bring me a doctor.” All night, for hours and hours he was crying and not able to sleep and he was following that and he couldn’t sleep. He was very sad because he could not give him... he couldn’t give him anything to release that kind of pain that he had.

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