The brother of a Guantánamo prisoner who wrote a best-selling memoir on his experiences at the prison has been barred from entering the United States. Mohamedou Ould Slahi has been imprisoned at Guantánamo for nearly 14 years without being charged with a crime. He wrote the book “Guantánamo Diary.” On June 2, he is set to go before the Periodic Review Board, which could recommend his release. His brother, Yahdih Ould Slahi, who lives in Germany, planned to come to the United States for a series of public events ahead of the hearing. But when he arrived at JFK Airport in New York Saturday, he was detained by Customs and Border Patrol, held overnight, interrogated and sent back to Germany. Slahi spoke about his brother’s case in a video recording after arriving home.
Yahdih Ould Slahi: “On June 2nd, he is going to have another hearing. We hope he will be released. We have created a petition. I would like to ask you to sign it, and then ask your friends and family. We really need your help. Only with your help can we make Mohamedou a free man. Of course, his mother is no longer living. She died in 2013. But he has the rest of his family waiting for him.”