The Guards and Interrogators as Human Relationships

This flow tracks Slahi’s changing relationships with guards and interrogators, where fear, coercion, kindness, and complicity coexist.

increasingBearing stren­gth in each eventdecreasing

A Gesture on the Flight

A Small Human Signal A Brutal Transfer During the transfer from Jordan, Slahi was stripped, shackled, and blindfolded for the flight. He feared that he was being taken to a place from which he would never return. A Tap on the Shoulder At a stopover, one guard tapped him gently as if to reassure him. In the midst of pain and uncertainty, the gesture suggested that a human response could survive inside a coercive operation. Hope and Mistrust Slahi drew comfort from the moment but could not know what would follow. The contrast between a small kindness and the larger machinery of detention became a recurring feature of his relationships with captors.

The Bible-Reading Guard

Conversation in Isolation A Young Guard In Bagram, a religious young guard tried to convert Slahi to Christianity. Their conversations gave Slahi human contact during a period of isolation and deprivation. Shared Texts Slahi had read the Bible in Arabic and could recognize stories that also appeared in the Qur’an. Rather than quarrel, they found common ground in the idea of shared religious origins. Kindness Within Confinement The guard gave him more time to use the bathroom and sometimes looked away. Such kindness did not change the prison, but it mattered to a prisoner whose daily life was otherwise controlled by others.

The First FBI Interrogator

Trust Built and Lost A Conversational Approach Early Guantánamo interrogators often questioned Slahi through rapport and discussion. One FBI-led interviewer criticized torture in other countries and offered reassurance that Slahi would not be mistreated. A Conditional Relationship Slahi cooperated and valued being treated as someone capable of conversation. He still demanded an explanation for his detention, a question that the interrogators could not answer satisfactorily. Departure The FBI team left in May 2003 as military control expanded. Slahi lost familiar interlocutors just as a harsher interrogation system began, and the human relationship could not protect him from the institution’s decisions.

The Interrogator He Could Relate To

Attachment Under Coercion A Complex Interrogator During the special interrogation, one woman on the team sometimes showed concern and offered a more humane chair or conversation. Slahi distinguished her conduct from that of interrogators who threatened or humiliated him. Conflicting Feelings He found himself attached to people who were part of the system harming him. He worried that affection might look like weakness or betrayal, yet he refused to reduce every person to a uniform. Separation When the interrogator left, Slahi cried and struggled with the loss, even though their relationship had been formed under coercive conditions. His response reveals the emotional complexity of dependence, injury, and kindness in captivity.

The Rehabilitation-Minded Guard

Friendship in Confinement Daily Conversation A guard assigned to Slahi spoke with him about history, culture, politics, and religion. He placed his mattress near Slahi’s cell and became a consistent source of human contact. Practical Care The guard helped improve Slahi’s diet, brought books and entertainment, and treated his injuries and needs as more than administrative details. Their conversations did not erase the power imbalance but gave Slahi room to feel recognized. A Moral Complication Slahi believed the guard could be kind while still participating in an unjust institution. He tried to judge people by what they showed him, preserving a capacity for affection without excusing harm.

July 2002

August 2002

August 2002–May 2003

2003–2004

Summer 2004–2005