Witnesses of the Unseen

Witnesses of the Unseen courageously exposes an ugly episode in U.S. history, restoring to Lakhdar Boumediene and Mustafa Ait Idir the humanity hijacked from them by the American government. This book transcends geography and time to take readers from Boumediene and Ait Idir's early years of innocence to their long imprisonment in the cages of Guantanamo. A must read for all people of conscience. -- Shakeel Syed, Former Executive Director * Islamic Shura Council * Lakhdar Boumediene and Mustafa Ait Idir are two of the most notorious victims of the U.S.'s post-9/11 program of rendition, torture, and indefinite detention. Kidnapped on groundless suspicions, they are perfectly placed to reflect on the horrors of Guantanamo and the 'war on terror.' With a warmth and intelligence sadly lacking in America's treatment of them, this powerful joint memoir exposes their captors' cruelty and the Kafkaesque twists and turns of the U.S. government's efforts to build a case against them. -- Andy Worthington * author of <i>The Guantanamo Files: The Stories of the 774 Detainees in America's Illegal Prison</i> * The U.S. government didn't want you to hear about life in the 'legal black hole' of Guantanamo. Having won the right to a judicial hearing and secured their release, Lakhdar Boumediene and Mustafa Ait Idir tell the urgent, compelling story behind their detention and one of the most important Supreme Court decisions of this century. It's a revealing and moving look at what the U.S. government tried desperately to hide. -- David Cole, Professor, Georgetown Law, and National Legal Director * ACLU * This book gives us insight into a dark period of U.S. history that is bound to repeat itself, unless more people like Mustafa and Lakhdar agree to tell their stories. Through their compelling first person accounts, told with enormous sensitivity, we learn how a culture of fear and suspicion can result in cruelty, injustice, and total disregard for humanity. There is horror, but there is also immense hope in this world where dedicated people, including the victims who have suffered untold indignities, speak up and speak out. -- John Heffernan, Executive Director, Speak Truth To Power * Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights * This no-frills account of their time in Guantanamo is disturbing, as the authors detail their mistreatment at the hands of prison guards and interrogators and how they were held in outdoor cages as the prison was built around them. Readers will be shocked by the lack of evidence against the men and how the tenuous ties among a group of casual friends fueled the government's crusade against them. An intense, important read for anyone interested in the American government's misguided efforts at Guantanamo. -- <i>Kirkus Reviews </i>