By Jim Roope, CNN
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(CNN) - The Guantanamo Bay terrorist detention facility has been troubled since it opened in 2002. Last week President Obama renewed his pledge to close it:
[0:19] “That is contrary to who we are. It is contrary to our interests and it’s gotta stop.”
One hundred Guantanamo detainees are currently on a hunger strike protesting conditions and their continued detention without trial. According to the Department of Defense, 24 of the hunger strikers are being force fed with three of those being watched at a hospital.
Here is one man’s story that underscores the problems with Guantanamo, the seemingly random rounding up of suspected terrorists:
[0:46] “I am not a terrorist. I am only a cook.”
Ahmed Errachidi, a Moroccan citizen, was trying to raise money in 2002 for a heart operation his young son needed. His idea was to import jewelry from Pakistan, but he was kidnapped by Pakistanis, sold to the Americans for bounty and taken to Guantanamo.
He spent over five years in detention, before a lawyer was able to prove that Errachidi was only a cook and not a terrorist:
[01:25] “His is one of the most ludicrous cases," says attorney Clive Smith. "And there were quite a few ludicrous cases that I came across at Guantanamo, but his was one of the worst.”
Errachidi wrote a book about his years at Guantanamo titled, The General: The Ordinary Man Who Challenged Guantanamo.
Listen to our podcast to hear more of Errachidi's story.
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