The Meaning of Freedom
Hussein al Merfedi was never charged with a crime. He is one of hundreds of detainees who spent over a decade in Guantanamo Bay Prison. In 2014, Hussein was transferred to Slovakia, thousands of miles from his family, friends, and support network.
As President Obama endeavors to close the prison before his term ends, an increasing number of detainees are being transferred to third-party countries. Former detainees are given little to no financial or job support, are far from a familiar culture and religious community, and family in their new homes.
Though they have been released from prison, former Guantanamo detainees now must build their lives from scratch, often suffering discrimination and isolation in their new homes. While some have succeeded in building a new and successful life, many others have not. Living alone and isolated, the former detainees have been released from Guantanamo into a new kind of prison: one of solitude, intolerance, and doubt.