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Former Guantanamo inmate to appear in play

Former Guantanamo Bay inmate Mamdouh Habib is set to make a cameo appearance in a play that tells the story of his arrest, torture and time behind bars.

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Source: AAP


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Former Guantanamo Bay inmate Mamdouh Habib is set to make a cameo appearance in a play that tells the story of his arrest, torture and time behind bars.

The Australian play, titled 661 - Mr Habib's serial number during his time in detention - comes after the federal government announced a fresh investigation into the case earlier this year.

"It covers from just before his arrest in Pakistan ... it then looks at his rendition to Egypt ... the torture that took place there, then it moves to Guantanamo Bay," director Julian Brophy told AAP.

The recent release of WikiLeaks documents, which Mr Habib says proves the Australian government knew all along that he would be taken to Egypt in 2002 and tortured, made the piece particularly poignant, Mr Brophy said.

"It's 10 years since he was arrested ... and I think there is a lot of interest in what happened then and what happens when you set aside the rule of law," Mr Brophy said.

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Mr Habib, who will appear at the start of the play to tell his story alongside members of his family, hopes the piece will raise awareness about what happened to him.

"We are not trying to distress people, we are trying to educate people," he told AAP.

He was released from Cuba's notorious Guantanamo Bay prison without charge in 2005.

The play, which ends with his release, opens at the Parade Playhouse NIDA, in Kensington, on May 10.


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