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| Ahmed Errachidi's unlikely voyage from London cook to Guantánamo Bay | Ahmed Errachidi's unlikely voyage from London cook to Guantánamo Bay |
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| The US military in Guantánamo Bay called Ahmed Errachidi "The General": in London he was just a cook. His journey from one role to the other is a fascinating story. | The US military in Guantánamo Bay called Ahmed Errachidi "The General": in London he was just a cook. His journey from one role to the other is a fascinating story. |
| Errachidi came from Morocco to London as a tourist, liked it and stayed, working as a kitchen-hand and then as a cook. But by 2001 he had a family back in Tangier, and with a son suffering from a heart problem he needed a new way of making a living. He listened to other immigrants' stories of rich pickings in other countries, and decided to buy silver jewellery in Pakistan to sell in Morocco. So he made his way to Islamabad. | Errachidi came from Morocco to London as a tourist, liked it and stayed, working as a kitchen-hand and then as a cook. But by 2001 he had a family back in Tangier, and with a son suffering from a heart problem he needed a new way of making a living. He listened to other immigrants' stories of rich pickings in other countries, and decided to buy silver jewellery in Pakistan to sell in Morocco. So he made his way to Islamabad. |
| It was late September 2001 and the Pakistani television screens were full of images of refugees streaming out of Afghanistan to escape the bombing about to be let loose on their country. Errachidi was doubly lost: he didn't know how to start his business and he was sick with fear for his son. The pictures he saw filled him with horror and, perhaps to escape his own difficulties, he decided to do something to help. On impulse, and ignoring the danger he was heading into, he crossed into Afghanistan. | It was late September 2001 and the Pakistani television screens were full of images of refugees streaming out of Afghanistan to escape the bombing about to be let loose on their country. Errachidi was doubly lost: he didn't know how to start his business and he was sick with fear for his son. The pictures he saw filled him with horror and, perhaps to escape his own difficulties, he decided to do something to help. On impulse, and ignoring the danger he was heading into, he crossed into Afghanistan. |
| Almost as soon as he arrived he realised how little he knew of Afghanistan. He wanted to leave but, with the guide who had brought him across the border gone, he didn't know how. And so the man who had come to help refugees became one: in the chaos of bombing it took him more than three weeks to return to Pakistan. But when a car he was travelling in hit a pedestrian and the driver ran away, Errachidi and his companions were arrested. They were kept in a Pakistani prison, then sold in an airport lounge to the Americans, before going through the dreadful privation of the US-run Afghan camps to Guantánamo. | Almost as soon as he arrived he realised how little he knew of Afghanistan. He wanted to leave but, with the guide who had brought him across the border gone, he didn't know how. And so the man who had come to help refugees became one: in the chaos of bombing it took him more than three weeks to return to Pakistan. But when a car he was travelling in hit a pedestrian and the driver ran away, Errachidi and his companions were arrested. They were kept in a Pakistani prison, then sold in an airport lounge to the Americans, before going through the dreadful privation of the US-run Afghan camps to Guantánamo. |
| Errachidi spent five and a half years in Guantánamo. He was accused of having trained in an al-Qaida camp: his lawyers, when finally given this information, proved that, during the period in question, he had actually been working in London kitchens. Released without charge, he returned to Tangier where he lives with his family. | Errachidi spent five and a half years in Guantánamo. He was accused of having trained in an al-Qaida camp: his lawyers, when finally given this information, proved that, during the period in question, he had actually been working in London kitchens. Released without charge, he returned to Tangier where he lives with his family. |
| As an English speaker, Errachidi was in the Guantánamo front line. He could have stepped back and made his life easier, but in Guantánamo, he found in himself a capacity to organise others. That is why they named him "The General" and why he had such a hard time. His story is of a man caught in a Kafkaesque trap but also of a man, and the others with him, who, as powerless as they were, still found in themselves the spirit to resist. | As an English speaker, Errachidi was in the Guantánamo front line. He could have stepped back and made his life easier, but in Guantánamo, he found in himself a capacity to organise others. That is why they named him "The General" and why he had such a hard time. His story is of a man caught in a Kafkaesque trap but also of a man, and the others with him, who, as powerless as they were, still found in themselves the spirit to resist. |
| Extract from The General: The Ordinary Man Who Challenged Guantánamo by Ahmed Errachidi | Extract from The General: The Ordinary Man Who Challenged Guantánamo by Ahmed Errachidi |
| Protests were commonplace in Guantánamo. Life was lived out to the sound of shouting and beating doors. But even so, when I first got there, these tended to be reactive and spontaneous, and running underneath them there was an air of hopelessness: few of us felt we had any control over our destinies or any way of stopping the things that were done to us. The longer I was in Guantánamo the more convinced I became of the need to change that. | Protests were commonplace in Guantánamo. Life was lived out to the sound of shouting and beating doors. But even so, when I first got there, these tended to be reactive and spontaneous, and running underneath them there was an air of hopelessness: few of us felt we had any control over our destinies or any way of stopping the things that were done to us. The longer I was in Guantánamo the more convinced I became of the need to change that. |
| I concentrated at first on trying to figure out how to stop the soldiers treating our Qur'ans with disrespect. Some went further than the frequent searches, throwing our holy book about; one even threw a Qur'an into the toilet. With the prisoners in the cells on either side of mine, I set in motion a discussion about how we might change things. | I concentrated at first on trying to figure out how to stop the soldiers treating our Qur'ans with disrespect. Some went further than the frequent searches, throwing our holy book about; one even threw a Qur'an into the toilet. With the prisoners in the cells on either side of mine, I set in motion a discussion about how we might change things. |
| Some proposed we went on hunger strike, others wanted us to stop all co-operation with the interrogators. I came up with a different idea: I suggested we simply return our Qur'ans to the library. If we did that, I reasoned, then the administration wouldn't be able to keep up their pretence of giving us full religious freedom and, at the same time, they'd also not be able to use our holy book as leverage against us. | Some proposed we went on hunger strike, others wanted us to stop all co-operation with the interrogators. I came up with a different idea: I suggested we simply return our Qur'ans to the library. If we did that, I reasoned, then the administration wouldn't be able to keep up their pretence of giving us full religious freedom and, at the same time, they'd also not be able to use our holy book as leverage against us. |
| The general in charge of Guantánamo at that time, a brute by the name of General Miller who was also in charge at Abu Ghraib when the abuses were exposed, had seen how, when one of our number was attacked, we were ready to defend him: if one was denied food, we would all refuse to eat, and if one was deprived of his blanket, we would also discard ours. This solidarity was our only source of power, and so Miller targeted it by creating a new "order of classes" whose purpose was to split the camp into four sections. | The general in charge of Guantánamo at that time, a brute by the name of General Miller who was also in charge at Abu Ghraib when the abuses were exposed, had seen how, when one of our number was attacked, we were ready to defend him: if one was denied food, we would all refuse to eat, and if one was deprived of his blanket, we would also discard ours. This solidarity was our only source of power, and so Miller targeted it by creating a new "order of classes" whose purpose was to split the camp into four sections. |
| An Arabic interpreter came round to each block to tell us about this new order. Each class, he told us, would differ from the next in terms of entitlement to food and possessions. Some of the differences now seem petty – for example, first class was allowed an empty plastic bottle with a screw-on lid while second class could have the bottle but not the lid – but given how destitute we all were, these minor differences could easily come to matter. Miller then further upped the ante by letting the soldiers take away some of our basic possessions if we were said to have disobeyed instructions or broken camp rules. In addition, he decreed that those in punishment should not have access to their Qur'an. | An Arabic interpreter came round to each block to tell us about this new order. Each class, he told us, would differ from the next in terms of entitlement to food and possessions. Some of the differences now seem petty – for example, first class was allowed an empty plastic bottle with a screw-on lid while second class could have the bottle but not the lid – but given how destitute we all were, these minor differences could easily come to matter. Miller then further upped the ante by letting the soldiers take away some of our basic possessions if we were said to have disobeyed instructions or broken camp rules. In addition, he decreed that those in punishment should not have access to their Qur'an. |
| I knew how hard it was for the other prisoners to contemplate giving up their Qur'ans. It was hard for me as well. Mine was my dearest possession, my security in tribulation, the light that delivered me from the darkness of my distress, and the longer I was locked up, the more precious it became. And yet most of the prisoners understood that my suggestion had less to do with depriving ourselves of our Qur'ans and more to do with protecting our holy book from our jailers' insults as well as exposing their hypocrisy. | I knew how hard it was for the other prisoners to contemplate giving up their Qur'ans. It was hard for me as well. Mine was my dearest possession, my security in tribulation, the light that delivered me from the darkness of my distress, and the longer I was locked up, the more precious it became. And yet most of the prisoners understood that my suggestion had less to do with depriving ourselves of our Qur'ans and more to do with protecting our holy book from our jailers' insults as well as exposing their hypocrisy. |
| We wanted our protest to be camp-wide. Since the soldiers controlled every aspect of our lives, organising was hard – should they get wind of a protest, they'd isolate the ringleaders – but we always did find a way. Not only could we shout between blocks but we also learned to use the prison administration's system against it. At that time, after a prisoner had served his punishment in one of the three punishment blocks, he'd be released back into the general prison population but not to the block he'd originally come from. This meant that prisoners, and especially the most disobedient among us, were continually meeting new prisoners: and this was the way we spread word of our impending resistance. | We wanted our protest to be camp-wide. Since the soldiers controlled every aspect of our lives, organising was hard – should they get wind of a protest, they'd isolate the ringleaders – but we always did find a way. Not only could we shout between blocks but we also learned to use the prison administration's system against it. At that time, after a prisoner had served his punishment in one of the three punishment blocks, he'd be released back into the general prison population but not to the block he'd originally come from. This meant that prisoners, and especially the most disobedient among us, were continually meeting new prisoners: and this was the way we spread word of our impending resistance. |
| Our strategy agreed, the prisoners in our block began to hand our Qur'ans over to the chaplain and translators, asking for them to be sent to safety in Mecca. It didn't take long for our action to spread. | Our strategy agreed, the prisoners in our block began to hand our Qur'ans over to the chaplain and translators, asking for them to be sent to safety in Mecca. It didn't take long for our action to spread. |
| My interrogator summoned me to ask why we were doing this, and I told him. I also warned him that because the Qur'an distracted us from our confinement, should we be without it for an extended period, our patience would snap and there would be rebellion throughout the camp. The administration agreed to our demand to prohibit the searching of the Qur'an. But it was too late: the prisoners no longer trusted the administration and started refusing to take their Qur'ans back. We'd reached a deadlock that went on for weeks: the administration trying to return our Qur'ans, our not taking them, some prisoners still with Qur'ans, some without. | My interrogator summoned me to ask why we were doing this, and I told him. I also warned him that because the Qur'an distracted us from our confinement, should we be without it for an extended period, our patience would snap and there would be rebellion throughout the camp. The administration agreed to our demand to prohibit the searching of the Qur'an. But it was too late: the prisoners no longer trusted the administration and started refusing to take their Qur'ans back. We'd reached a deadlock that went on for weeks: the administration trying to return our Qur'ans, our not taking them, some prisoners still with Qur'ans, some without. |
| It was while this protest was going on that Miller's class division came into effect, and this included depriving prisoners on punishment of the Qur'an, which created a fresh and even louder protest. The soldiers were supposed to call the chaplain or the interpreter to collect the Qur'an and keep it safe until the prisoner had served his term of punishment. But one night the soldiers broke their own rules and began to use force to remove Qur'ans. | It was while this protest was going on that Miller's class division came into effect, and this included depriving prisoners on punishment of the Qur'an, which created a fresh and even louder protest. The soldiers were supposed to call the chaplain or the interpreter to collect the Qur'an and keep it safe until the prisoner had served his term of punishment. But one night the soldiers broke their own rules and began to use force to remove Qur'ans. |
| They had done this to every prisoner as he came in (we usually had five or six arrive in a 24-hour period), and witnessing it we had become increasingly furious. We started banging on the doors and shouting. The soldiers took no notice. So, to get under their skin, and demean them in the same way they were demeaning us, one of the prisoners started shouting out the name of Osama bin Laden. All the prisoners took up the chant: "Osama bin Laden, Osama bin Laden." | They had done this to every prisoner as he came in (we usually had five or six arrive in a 24-hour period), and witnessing it we had become increasingly furious. We started banging on the doors and shouting. The soldiers took no notice. So, to get under their skin, and demean them in the same way they were demeaning us, one of the prisoners started shouting out the name of Osama bin Laden. All the prisoners took up the chant: "Osama bin Laden, Osama bin Laden." |
| Our shouts enraged the soldiers. They wanted to take something from us but we had so little: in the end they could only demand that we give up our towels. We refused to comply and continued to taunt them. So they sent for an emergency reaction force (ERF) to storm our cells. | Our shouts enraged the soldiers. They wanted to take something from us but we had so little: in the end they could only demand that we give up our towels. We refused to comply and continued to taunt them. So they sent for an emergency reaction force (ERF) to storm our cells. |
| ERFs were made up of five or six soldiers wielding shields and wearing black protective clothing over their military uniforms as well as helmets and protective plates for their calves and thighs. | ERFs were made up of five or six soldiers wielding shields and wearing black protective clothing over their military uniforms as well as helmets and protective plates for their calves and thighs. |
| This gear was designed not only to protect them but also to cast fear. When they were ready to attack a prisoner in his cell they'd form a human train, the soldier at the front wielding the large shield, the kind riot police use, like a fat tube cut in half lengthways. The cell door would be opened, another soldier would spray a hot gas known as OC (oleoresin capsicum) spray into the prisoner's face, causing excruciating pain to eyes, skin and throat as well as choking the prisoner and making him collapse. Once the prisoner was on the ground, the other soldiers would rush in and beat him. | This gear was designed not only to protect them but also to cast fear. When they were ready to attack a prisoner in his cell they'd form a human train, the soldier at the front wielding the large shield, the kind riot police use, like a fat tube cut in half lengthways. The cell door would be opened, another soldier would spray a hot gas known as OC (oleoresin capsicum) spray into the prisoner's face, causing excruciating pain to eyes, skin and throat as well as choking the prisoner and making him collapse. Once the prisoner was on the ground, the other soldiers would rush in and beat him. |
| They used different methods for these beatings. Some would press as hard as they could on the soft point behind our ears. Some would lift our heads off the ground before smashing them down on the metal floor. Some would twist our fingers back hard enough to break them. And all the time they were doing this they would be shouting: "Do not resist, do not move", even though by this point it was impossible to do either. They also filmed these attacks, telling us this was to "ensure the safety of the prisoner", which was laughable given the damage they were doing. Afterwards they would use the medical kit they had brought with them to staunch the bleeding, bruising and bone fractures they had inflicted on us. The unconsciousness was harder to patch up. But before this first aid was applied, our hands and feet would be shackled from as we lay face down on the floor; they'd put our faces over the toilet. | They used different methods for these beatings. Some would press as hard as they could on the soft point behind our ears. Some would lift our heads off the ground before smashing them down on the metal floor. Some would twist our fingers back hard enough to break them. And all the time they were doing this they would be shouting: "Do not resist, do not move", even though by this point it was impossible to do either. They also filmed these attacks, telling us this was to "ensure the safety of the prisoner", which was laughable given the damage they were doing. Afterwards they would use the medical kit they had brought with them to staunch the bleeding, bruising and bone fractures they had inflicted on us. The unconsciousness was harder to patch up. But before this first aid was applied, our hands and feet would be shackled from as we lay face down on the floor; they'd put our faces over the toilet. |
| Such attacks would characteristically last about 15 minutes and then, after administering the first aid, they'd remove the shackles and then, holding on to each other, would slowly withdraw from the cell in a line, the last soldier remaining to restrain the prisoner until he was finally pulled from the prisoner's body with such force that they'd all end up falling backwards. Then the cell door would be slammed shut. | Such attacks would characteristically last about 15 minutes and then, after administering the first aid, they'd remove the shackles and then, holding on to each other, would slowly withdraw from the cell in a line, the last soldier remaining to restrain the prisoner until he was finally pulled from the prisoner's body with such force that they'd all end up falling backwards. Then the cell door would be slammed shut. |
| This was what happened that night. Soon afterwards, my interrogator asked me if I knew what my new nickname among the soldiers was. When I said no, he told me that it was "The General". I was sitting on a chair and shackled to an iron ring in the floor. He moved closer in his comfortable office chair, put his hands on my knees and looked me straight in the eyes. "Get off the stage, now," he said. "You are under the spotlight, in an exposed position. If you don't step down you'll fall and get hurt." He told me then that he'd been sent by the colonel, a senior-ranking officer, to deliver this message and that this was the last time I'd be told. | This was what happened that night. Soon afterwards, my interrogator asked me if I knew what my new nickname among the soldiers was. When I said no, he told me that it was "The General". I was sitting on a chair and shackled to an iron ring in the floor. He moved closer in his comfortable office chair, put his hands on my knees and looked me straight in the eyes. "Get off the stage, now," he said. "You are under the spotlight, in an exposed position. If you don't step down you'll fall and get hurt." He told me then that he'd been sent by the colonel, a senior-ranking officer, to deliver this message and that this was the last time I'd be told. |
| • © Ahmed Errachidi 2013. Extracted from The General: The Ordinary Man Who Challenged Guantánamo by Ahmed Errachidi, published by Chatto & Windus at £12.99. To order a copy for £10.59 with free UK p&p go to guardian.co.uk/bookshop or call 0330 333 6846 | • © Ahmed Errachidi 2013. Extracted from The General: The Ordinary Man Who Challenged Guantánamo by Ahmed Errachidi, published by Chatto & Windus at £12.99. To order a copy for £10.59 with free UK p&p go to guardian.co.uk/bookshop or call 0330 333 6846 |
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