Man Testifies Ex-CPD Detective Brutally Tortured Him at Guantanamo Bay

Mohamedou Ould Slahi, a Mauritanian man once detained at the U.S. military prison in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, testified that his treatment worsened dramatically after a Chicago police detective took charge of his interrogation.

Slahi explained that he was initially treated respectfully by American guards and interrogators. He said things changed once former Chicago Police Department detective Richard Zuley arrived, describing what he called a campaign of “brutal torture and psychological abuse.”

From Cooperation to Coercion

According to Slahi’s account, Zuley allegedly deprived him of sleep, threatened his life, and subjected him to extreme isolation. He claimed he was forced to stand for prolonged periods and faced repeated questioning designed to “break his mind.”

Slahi said,

“They wanted confessions, not truth. Under Zuley, I stopped being a human being in their eyes.”

Court records and human rights investigations have previously connected Zuley’s interrogation tactics at Guantánamo to abuse allegations during his time in Chicago, where suspects similarly accused him of coercive methods.

Continuing Legal and Moral Questions

The U.S. government has never charged Slahi with a crime, and he was released in 2016 after being detained for 14 years. His testimony has resurfaced as part of a broader investigation into interrogation practices and accountability for alleged torture during the war on terror.

Human rights advocates argue that Slahi’s case illustrates the lasting damage of unchecked authority inside the world’s most secretive detention network.

“The harm done at Guantánamo is not just physical, it’s systemic,” said a legal representative familiar with ongoing reviews of U.S. detention policy.

Author’s Summary

A former Guantánamo detainee described being tortured by ex-Chicago detective Richard Zuley, linking police brutality at home with interrogation abuses abroad.

WTTW — 2025-11-25