Mohamedou Ould Slahi, the Mauritanian writer who was imprisoned at Guantánamo Bay for fourteen years without charge or trial, has finally received a residence permit from the IND (the Dutch Immigration and Naturalization Service).
Previously, the decision on his residence application was repeatedly postponed by the IND because there was a SIS alert in his name, imposed by Germany. Nevertheless, the IND has now decided to issue a combined work and residence permit (gvva), despite the existence of this SIS alert.
In his residence procedure, Slahi was legally supported by Eva Bezem. She argued to the IND that the German alert was based on outdated, incorrect information about his alleged involvement in terrorist attacks. It was because of exactly this information that he was wrongfully imprisoned at Guantánamo Bay for fourteen years at the time.
Slahi took the position that this SIS alert could not prevent him from obtaining an entry visa and a residence permit for the Netherlands. The IND has now followed this position.
The purpose of his stay will primarily be to work for one year as a writer-in-residence at ‘Noord Nederlands Toneel’ (a theater company) and ‘Club Guy & Roni’. He will also visit MBO courses with i.e. De Balie, to talk to students about the concept of freedom, in order to make young people aware of what freedom exactly means.
A recent article by ‘de Volkskrant’ about this case can be found here.