Chris, as Mohammed El-Gharani was called in Guantanamo, was taken prisoner as a 14 year old pupil while learning English and IT with his friend’s uncle in Karachi. Since he had come from Medina the Pakistani authorities sold him for a ransom as a potential Arab terrorist to the American military right after 9/11 – who took him to Guantanamo. There he became the most unruly and obtuse inmate of the camp, organizing a defiant struggle for justice and fairness against the brutalizing, torturing guards. His weapon was truth and independence of the mind which he kept up against all odds – but which kept himself alive as a human being in return. After seven and a half years he was released without charges after more than a year’s of intervention by Reprieve, a British NGO standing up for the rights of prisoners. Alas, since his release, his odyssey as a stigmatized being, suspiciously eyed upon instead of being admired for what he managed to do, is ongoing. – We hope time will come when he finally will be able to speak out, gain justice and teach others about what really counts in life; which is Mohammed’s wish for a legacy of his own.

You can look at the story in his and Jérôme Tubiana’s book with animations by Alexandre Franc: Guantanamo Kid, The True Story of Mohammed El-Gharani, SELFMADEHERO, London 2019