Through the Gates of Hell: American Injustice at Guantanamo Bay - Joshua Colangelo-bryan
An inspiring true story about an American attorney and his client confronting prejudice and persecution in a prison outside the law, as one fights for the other's freedom, and the other fights for his life. \nWe'll be watching, the sergeant said, pointing at a video monitor inside Camp Echo's guard booth. For your protection. \n \n In 2004, attorney Joshua Colangelo-Bryan arrived at Guantanamo Bay to meet Jaber Mohammed, one of six Bahraini detainees his firm had agreed to represent. Colangelo-Bryan had heard these men were among the most dangerous, best-trained, vicious killers on the face of the earth, as Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld put it. Colangelo-Bryan didn't buy the rhetoric, but did find himself wondering if he was about to meet a killer. \n \n Far from being threatening, though, Mohammed welcomed Colangelo-Bryan, even as his ankle was shackled to the floor. Why was Mohammed there? Was he guilty of a crime? These were among the questions Colangelo-Bryan had to answer. Surprisingly, the two spoke for hours about their lives. Mohammed also detailed the inhumane conditions at the prison, including abuse by guards and solitary confinement. \n \n A friendship grew over time, as Colangelo-Bryan worked to bring justice to Mohammed. The Bush administration claimed any enemy combatant could be held in Guantanamo forever without a trial, and it became clear that litigation was unlikely to free the Bahrainis. And so, as Mohammed lost hope, Colangelo-Bryan devised a plan to leverage the media and pressure the Bahraini government to negotiate for the release of its citizens. Colangelo- Bryan's long fight for the Bahrainis was ultimately successful, and in 2007, after several suicide attempts, Mohammed was freed. \n \n Through the Gates of Hell is a powerful account of an unlikely friendship and what it takes to fight for human rights in the post-9/11 era.\n