They also wanted Mohamed, an Ethiopian citizen, to plead guilty — even though he was never charged with a crime.

Given the rising number of lawsuits being filed against the United States charging unlawful detention, torture and abuse in violation of U.S. and international law, the U.S. government’s attempt to get Mohamed to sign a release isn’t all that surprising. And the U.S. government’s pressure to keep the details of Mohamed’s ordeal secret is consistent with its previous pressure on the U.K. court not to release even a summary of his claims of torture.

But it raises the question: how many more former detainees have promised not to talk, or sue, or seek justice of any kind, in order to secure their release?