If there is anybody out there who still has any doubts as to whether the U.S.’s shameful hellhole Guantánamo should be closed, ex-prisoner Lahcen Ikassrien has some things to tell you. Ikassrien, a Spanish resident and Morrocan national, was a prisoner at Gitmo for nearly 4 years after being captured in Afghanistan and accused of being a supporter of the Taliban.

If you understand Spanish, have a look at the video above, in which Ikassrien describes in detail what his life (if you can call it that) was like during his detention (among the torture, being laced with gasoline and set fire). I’ve also translated parts of his interview with Spain’s Telecinco here because I think it’s of interest to our readers. This kind of testimony doesn’t reach us through U.S. mainstream media:

What is the before and after for Lahcen Ikassrien, after living 3 and a half years in hell?

I am a Muslim and I will continue to be a Muslim. I don’t force anyone to enter my territory nor to accept my beliefs. I don’t have problems with Jews or with Christians nor with anyone of any other belief. But I ask for respect for Muslims because people try to make others believe that we are terrorists or that women are forced to wear ‘hiyab’ and that’s not true. I ask for respect.

What do you feel towards Americans?
They must pay. To get money, killing and torturing people isn’t necessary, nor is all of the damage they are causing. In Guantánamo there are prisoners of 45 nationalities. They say we are murderers but that isn’t the case. They make the world think we are terrorists and they use this to justify what they are doing and to benefit. We are the road that leads them to their objectives. The world must know what they are doing and they must pay for it.

Do you feel safe in Europe?
I’m still afraid. My life isn’t easy, but in Europe people are more open, are capable of understanding that not all Muslims are terrorists. Americans have closed minds and they don’t try to understand what lies outside of their borders. Americans don’t deserve to live for what they are doing to the world.

Some pretty strong statements. But I wonder what any of us would think or feel after being imprisoned and tortured in the world’s worst jail. Ikassrien is now living in Spain, where he arrived after his release from Guantanamo, and where he was again imprisoned for another year. He says he also blames the Spanish government for telling U.S. authorities that he was a terrorist.

Via / Telecinco