Mohamedou Ould Slahi wants compensation.

This Mauritanian, wrongly suspected of terrorism and imprisoned for 14 years in Guantanamo, whose story was told in the hit film

Designated Guilty

, has initiated proceedings against Canada responsible for his detention.

Aged 51 today, he believes that “erroneous information” provided by Canada concerning the period when he was a permanent resident in Montreal are at the origin of his detention, according to the complaint filed on Friday.

He therefore claims 35 million Canadian dollars (just over 25 million euros) in damages for the damages suffered.

many tortures

The man claims that it was the false information provided by the Canadian authorities that led to his detention in the American military prison where he says he suffered "indescribable torture and ill-treatment", such as beatings, deprivation sleep, sexual assault or even death threats… Then the Canadian authorities would then have “tacitly tolerated” the torture he suffered and even “used” information from confessions obtained under torture.

"Slahi's detention and ill-treatment were prolonged because the receipt and use of coerced confessions by Canadian authorities validated the continued torture and detention," say Mohamedou Ould Slahi's lawyers in their statement. complaint.

The latter had written his story in a book that became a best seller before being adapted for the cinema.

The film, starring Tahar Rahim and Jodie Foster, accurately depicts the extreme conditions on the American base.

Also imprisoned in Jordan and Afghanistan

Mohamedou Ould Slahi was detained at Guantanamo without trial between 2002 and 2016. Arrested in 2001 in Mauritania, he had been successively imprisoned in Jordan and Afghanistan, before arriving at Guantanamo, in what he called in his book a "world tour of torture and humiliation".

The American authorities accused him of being a member of Al-Qaeda, having participated in the “Hamburg cell” (Germany), linked to the September 11 attacks.

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  • World

  • Guantánamo

  • UNITED STATES

  • Canada

  • September 11th

  • Terrorism

  • Torture