In an interview with the Swedish daily Dagens Nyheter, Ghezali described his time in “Camp X-ray.” The interrogations began immediately after his arrival there, Ghezali said. He was pressured to repeat his life story over and over again.

After six months of harassment—including interrogations observed by a Swedish police officer who acted as part of a Swedish government delegation—Ghezali decided to remain silent, he said. The U.S. military police responded by refusing to turn over to him any letters from his family.

The Swedish government sent envoys to help the U.S. guards to force him to talk. As a condition for his release, he said, he had to sign a statement crafted by Swedish and U.S. officials pledging that he would neither threaten Washington nor associate with any group related to the former Taliban regime in Afghanistan or al-Qaeda.

Ghezali also described some of the abuse he suffered at the hands of his captors. This included turning off the heat in his cell for hours at a time, turning on loud music or noise in his cell for long periods, and putting him in chains that cut into his wrists.

The big-business press in Sweden has attempted to discredit Ghezali. An article appeared July 17 in both major dailies here—Dagens Nyheter and Svenska Dagbladet—titled “Gaps in Ghezali’s story,” which tried to paint him as a “suspected terrorist.”

“There are question marks regarding his possible connection to terrorism,” the article said. “Starting with Ghezali’s own account, you cannot tell what he was doing in Afghanistan during this dramatic time. The incidents Ghezali describes hint that he could have had connections with al-Qaeda.” The article promoted the idea that Washington had been justified in jailing him.

The Guantánamo Group, an association formed to win Ghezali’s release, is currently organizing his housing and his defense against possible victimization by Swedish authorities.  
 
 
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