A Place Outside the Law: Forgotten Voices from Guantanamo

Firsthand testimonies from Guant namo Bay, inspiring future generations to never repeat the human rights violations of the detention center.

Law scholar and Witness to Guant namo founder Peter Jan Honigsberg uncovers a haunting portrait of life at the military prison and its toll, not only on the detainees and their loved ones but also on its military and civilian personnel and the journalists who reported on it.

Honigsberg conducted 158 interviews across 20 countries so that the people who lived and worked there could tell their heartbreaking and inspirational stories. In each one, we face the reality that the healing process cannot begin until we start the conversation about what was done in the name of protecting our country. These are a few of them. Many alleged operatives in Guant namo were purchased by the United States for ransom from Afghan and Pakistani soldiers. Brandon Neely, a prison guard who processed the first group of suspected operatives to arrive in Cuba, flew to London to embrace the detainees he guarded after leaving the military. Navy whistleblower Matt Diaz covertly released the names of 500 detainees by sending them in a greeting card to a lawyer in New York. Journalist Carol Rosenberg committed the past 17 years of her career to documenting life at Guant namo. And Damien Corsetti, an interrogator who came to be known as the "King of Torture," received ribbons and awards for the same cruel actions for which he was later prosecuted.

In startling, aching prose, A Place Outside the Law shines a light on these unheard voices, and through them, encourages the global community to embrace humanity as our greatest tool to make the world a safer place.

Author: Peter Jan Honigsberg
Publisher: Beacon Press
Published: 11/12/2019
Pages: 296
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 1.20lbs
Size: 9.10h x 6.00w x 1.20d
ISBN: 9780807026984


Review Citation(s):
Kirkus Reviews 09/15/2019 pg. 63
Booklist 11/15/2019 pg. 14

About the Author
Peter Jan Honigsberg is a professor at the University of San Francisco School of Law and the founder and director of Witness to Guantánamo. His research and teaching focuses on the rule of law and human rights violations that occurred in the detention center in Guantánamo, as well as on the study of terrorism and post-9/11 issues. His books include Our Nation Unhinged: The Human Consequences of the War on Terror and Crossing Border Street: A Civil Rights Memoir. Honigsberg lives in Berkeley, CA.


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