Suicide Note of Guantánamo Prisoner

This is a suicide note from a prisoner(now deceased) of Guantnamo Bay. It provides a unique glimpse into what was in the mind of the person caught in this 'War on Terror'.

Suicide Note of Guantánamo Prisoner Jumah Abdel Latif al-Dossari], 2005-10-14

In fact, I don’t know where to begin... or how to begin… Josh, Khaled the interpreter… I feel very sorry for forcing you to see…It might be the first time in your life… to see a human being who suffered too much… dying in front of your eyes…I know it is an awful and horrible scene, but…I really feel sorry for you. There was no other alternative to make our voice heard by the world from the depths of the detention centers except this way in order for the world to re-examine its standing and for the fair people of America to look again at the situation and try to have a moment of truth with themselves… why was no conclusion reached with regard to the detainees in Guantanamo, Cuba until now?

Till when this tragedy will continue? When will it end after all these years, and when will the detainees go back to their homelands, families, wives and children? When will this tragedy cease to continue… till when? The detainees are suffering from the bitterness of despair, the detention humiliation and the vanquish of slavery and suppression…

Josh, Khaled: Actually I spent nice hours with you… even though they were full of
talking about my agonies, pains and grieves… I hope you will always remember that you met and sat with a “human being” called “Jumah” who suffered too much and was
abused in his belief, self, in his dignity and also in his humanity. He was imprisoned,
tortured and deprived from his homeland, his family and his young daughter who is in the most need for him for four years…with no reason or crime committed. Remember that there are hundreds of detainees in Guantanamo –Cuba – they are in the same situation of suffering and misfortune. They were captured, tortured and detained with no offense or reason. Their lives might end like mine… When you remember me in my last gasps of life before dying, while my soul is leaving my body to rise to its creator, remember that the world let us and let our case down…

Remember that our governments let us down…

Remember the unreasonable delay of the courts in looking into our case and to side with the victims of injustice… Remember that if there were people who are actually fair and who defend justice and defend the victims of injustice and if there are judges who are fair, I wouldn’t have been wrapped in death shrouds now and my family –my father, my mother, my brothers and sisters, and my little daughter – would not have to lose their son… forever… but what else can I do?

Take some of my blood… take pieces of my death shrouds... take some of my
remains…take pictures of my dead body when I am placed in my grave, lonely…send it to the world.. to the judges…to people with live conscious… to people with principles
and values, “the fair-minded”…

To make them carry the burden of guilt in front of the world for this soul that was wasted with no guilt it has ever done…

To make them all carry this burden in front of the future generations for this wasted soul that has done no sin…To make them carry this burden of guilt in front of history for this soul that was wasted with no reason…

After this soul has suffered the worst by the hands of “the protectors of peace and the
callers for democracy, freedom, equality and justice”…

There, in the very far east, at the other end of the ocean… there in the east… how many fathers, mothers, wives, siblings, children and other family members who are crying now for their imprisoned children at Guantanamo Bay –Cuba… Why…Why do they have to suffer the agony of separation and swallow the bitterness of deprivation from having their sons…

I am not the only one suffering …this anguish…my family is very much suffering too…
My little daughter whom they destroyed her spirit because of my detention and having me taken away from her... sends me letters saying: “Dad please come to me… please come back to me...all the girls in my school have dads, except me?!... Dad, I need you...I want you to come back to me...please come back for my sake...

In fact, I don’t have an answer to her question…The answer to her question is there, with “the fair minded people”...

Josh... Khaled: At this moment, I see death looming in front of me while writing this
letter…Death has a bad odor that cannot be smelled except by people who are going
through the agony of death only.

Josh... Khaled: farewell… farewell with no hope of you seeing me again…I thank you for everything you have done for me, but I have a final request…
Show the world the letters I gave you…let the world read them…Let the world know the agony of the detainees in Cuba…

Note: I wrote this letter on the same date shown, but I was surprised that Khaled, the
interpreter, did not show. I really wanted to see him before I leave this life…I have
decided not to make any changes to this letter that was meant to talk to you and
Khaled, out of respect to my faithful friend Khaled...(same day at night).

Prisoner of Deprivation /
Jumah Abdel Latif Al Dossari
Guantanamo Bay, Cuba
(Signature)
Friday, 10/14/2005

Source: dspace.wrlc.org...
[Obtained through FOIA)

There would be many more such prisoners caught in this 'War On Terror'.

wow that is very depressing to read. Good find, thanks for exposing this to us.

Now for real guys, this guy deserved a trial.

Prisoners of war have rights too, human rights.

His death will not be in vain however, because people like me will ALWAYS demand a FAIR trial no matter who the accused is, because without a trial we could have imprisoned a innocent man.

He deserved a chance to defend himself. And if he was found guilty of some crime or another, legitimately in a open courtroom, than it would be fair to keep him locked up.

The Nazi's got a trial at Nuremberg, and they were the worst of the worst. This guy certainly deserved one too...

[edit on 28-1-2010 by muzzleflash]

I can't even begin to put into words the sorrow i feel for this man, his family and for those other people being held there without trial or justice.

People of America, Obama promised to close this place. You hold the power to demand it happens. Please write to whoever you can, pass this note on and demand action. Get your local governor, senator, anyone you can to stand up against this attrocity. You've allowed it to go on for too long.

His death is also on your hands. His death is on all our hands.

reply to post by muzzleflash


Perfectly said.

I haven't got anything to add really, other than to say: Right to a fair trial is supposed to be "explicitly proclaimed in Article Ten of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Sixth Amendment to the United States Constitution, and Article Six of the European Convention of Human Rights, as well as numerous other constitutions and declarations throughout the world." - from Wikipedia. It can be found more indepth here - www.un.org...

Why isn't it happening?

reply to post by December_Rain


I'm sorry but I don't believe this for a second, if it's been translated then it's been done very poorly. And the link is just a pdf.. where's the explanation of where it come from, or why the American government let this letter out of Gitmo?

And one or two posters above fell for the guilt trip too..

To make them carry the burden of guilt in front of the world for this soul that was wasted with no guilt it has ever done…

This is one of the most guilt grabbing pieces of writing I've ever seen. Chances are if you're in Gitmo.. there's a reason. Don't blame everyone else and expect the entire world to feel guilty for one person when millions of people throughout history have suffered a much worse fate

Question....I pulled up your source and it was just a typed letter. How do we know who really typed it? Perhaps its just a nicely written piece of fiction?

If it turns out to be authentic, then I have to wonder why the man chose to kill himself. At one point he stated that his daughter was begging him to come home, and how terrible that made him feel. Now he decides to kill himself and permanently leave his daughter? That doesn't make sense to me, as a parent. I would go through quite a lot, I hope, to make it back to my son.

I'm sure I'll get some negative responses for being so cynical, but I do have to wonder. And before someone says it, yes I do realize situations change and perhaps his mental state wasn't exactly coherent when he decided it was better to die. Yes, I have no idea what he experienced and can't begin to imagine what he endured; I know this and I am not in any way trying to downplay the suffering of people at Gitmo. I'm just questioning the authenticity of the letter.

Anyway, thanks for an interesting read....

Of course the Joker wouldn't care.

reply to post by December_Rain


Thank you for sharing that friend...
We should never forget our common humanity, we all wants to be loved, all wants to live in dignity...
Only we can make it happen, let every moment count

It reads like more bad propoganda..............nothing to see here. Just like jail, everyone is innocent. I do know sometimes innocent people do wind up in jail, however, this just doesn't add up.

reply to post by December_Rain


What I think stands out the most to me about this, is how the man seems to respect a spiritual process, but at the same time seems to think that the governments of the world are something more than a footstool kingdom.

Why kill yourself when you have a daughter waiting for you? That part I don't get.

reply to post by adifferentbreed


especially after Obama just said he wanted to close Gitmo. That's what first came up in my head.

Either way. I don't think thats happening. I think the first step needed is to oust the shadow gov't and military Industrial Complex and end the stupid wars in Afghan and Iran before Gitmo can be closed.

I have no sympathy for this man he was a member of a known terrorist group. He knew what would happen if caught with that kind of company. He deserved to be in jail especially if he's a terrorist agains my country, my family, my kids, yes he deserved to be in jail. And the fact that he commited suicide just reminds of how weak this person was, i don't really care what situation you're in suicide is never an answer, way to be there for you daughter buddy.

Anyone notice that there was no "praise allah" in that letter? That just goes to show you that not all of these detainees are/were religious extremists, no?

Originally posted by blair56
I have no sympathy for this man he was a member of a known terrorist group. He knew what would happen if caught with that kind of company. He deserved to be in jail especially if he's a terrorist agains my country, my family, my kids, yes he deserved to be in jail. And the fact that he commited suicide just reminds of how weak this person was, i don't really care what situation you're in suicide is never an answer, way to be there for you daughter buddy.

How is he a Terrorist when "they" invaded his homeland? Wasn't he trying to defend his homeland along with his family against invaders that landed there turning their city upside down into a blood bath? Who is really the Terrorist? Im just saying.

reply to post by mrfire9


you try to kill my countrymen, you're a terrorist. I will support our troops till the day i die. I may not agree with them being over there, and i can promise neither do they, but they took an oath to serve there country and it doesn't help when there own country is calling THEM terrorist.

reply to post by ItsallCrazy



I agree. This looks fishy. I have a hard time believing this was released by the Government, even thru a FOIA request.

Of course, something being fishy never stopped anyone on ATS from believing it.

reply to post by Aggie Man


Or could well be fabricated just to reiterate how evil the US is, this whole thing seems less than genuine.

I agree with everyone questioning this "suicide note".

We hardly know anything about the prisoners; what they did, what information they have told. Now all of a sudden somebody has released a suicide note and the majority of people just let it slide as being authentic?

Why would the government release this?

Being the "shady government they are", why wouldn't they just make up their own suicide note for him?

Why wouldn't they have just tossed it out?

Originally posted by December_Rain
This is a suicide note from a prisoner(now deceased)

No it is not, it is just propaganda, that you fell for!

Why dont people do some research before posting lies like this?
en.wikipedia.org...

"Pentagon spokesman Jeffrey D. Gordon denied that al Dossary had been mistreated. He asserted that al Qaeda trained its operatives to claim abuse while incarcerated. According to the Associated Press Simpson said:

"This tactic is used in order to gain public sympathy in the hopes that they may be released,"

reply to post by blair56

So why don't we refer to past enemies of the US as "terrorists?" The British attacking us in 1812 were surely terrorists, but we refer to them just as enemies.
To me, the word "terrorist" implies someone merely wanting to inflict fear and pain upon another people/country. Fighting in defense of your own beliefs shouldn't be put under that nomenclature.