The media has finally attended to the plight of Omar Khadr, the last western detainee in the American terrorist detention centre at Guantanamo Cuba. Looks like every other western country, except Canada, has repatriated their citizens from the American military justice system from the GITMO terrorist prison.
This travesty of politics over justice suffered by Omar Khadr ought to make every Canadian wonder if they have to fear their own government, not just the Bush-Cheney political regime. Makes you wonder if our government, and our political leaders, will be there to protect and assist us should we fall into such difficult circumstances in a foreign country.
That military justice system has been undermined by just about every civil court application made against it as of late, including many rejections by the US Supreme Court. Bush’s GITMO detention policy and approaches to justifying torture are not akin to the kind of the free, open and civil society we know American citizens continue aspire to.
Prime Minister Harper dodges and retreats on the Khadr crisis. He defaults yet again to his old saw that this is all the fault of the former Liberal government. This is typical of the half-truths of Mr. Harper’s form of leadership. He is right that the former Liberal government was equally as pandering to the US safety and security concerns post 9-11. But Harper has been in power for over two and a half years so blaming the Liberals for this continuing policy of pandering to the Bush White House is a little old – and dangerous.
It is time to protect the rights and rescue a Canadian citizen who we know has been tortured while detained and who was a child soldier at the time of arrest. He may have enough evidence to justify standing trial but as a Canadian and under our laws and not the Bush-Cheney version of “justice.”
Khadr was a 15 year old child soldier as the time of the alleged “terrorist” activity he is charged with. He has been tortured and left without some the most fundamental of legal protections as a Canadian citizen and that is reprehensible. If fact our intelligence and security agencies have been compliant in the mistreating of Mr. Khadr, a Canadian citizen and a minor, who is still in detention. He deserves a fair and speedy trial regardless of the odious opinions and utterances of his family and the terrorist fears of Bush and his boys.
When our government and its political leadership fails, refuses or neglects to protect the rights of Canadian citizens in foreign jurisdictions, it is time to refuse them our consent to continue to govern us. I believe that was true of the Chretien and Martin Liberals of their day. With the new evidence the Canadian courts have forced the authorities to release we now know about the abuse of Mr. Khadr’s fundamental human rights, mistreatment and torture at the hands of the American military “justice” system.
Bring this abused and tortured Canadian citizen home to face a fair trial in our justice system that still respects the rule of law Prime Minister Harper. To continue to allow Khadr to be subject to a discredited military tribunal process that has been found to be illegal even by American courts puts power and politics above the protection of Canadian citizens. Time to put away your posturing politics and pandering to the Bush government and do the right thing a citizen of Canada Mr. Harper.
Sorry Ken, but the mere fact that someone has a piece of paper that says he is a citizen does not include unlimited protection abroad.
ReplyDeleteThe person is a charged terrorist intent on killing hundreds of innocent civilians. The US has a right to retain him and seek as much information as possible to deter future attacks.
However, it does not surprise me that a bleeding heart liberal would disagree. At the same time, Canadians tend to disapprove of assisting suspected terrorists.
The liberals are engaging in a shameless political game on the back of this young person.
nobody wants to ask why he was there in the first place. I understand he was wounded, yet stayed to fight after he recovered from his wounds. If he was truly there for charity purposes, why did he go back after he recovered?
ReplyDeleteThe uncomfortable truth is he is a Canadian of convience. I have read elsewhere that his family left canada in 1985. I would like to know if his family was filing their tax returns in canada after that time; I suspect they were not. Their family are only Canadian because they got into trouble. . . or was that the plan all along?
Canadian citizenship should not be used as a shield to hide behind. I see lots of blame being thrown at the conservatives, but I don't see anyone from the liberals (or cbc) demanding accountability from the old liberal government, . . . or from the parents.
So far the HarperCon$ have had a deplorable record with respect to Canadians abroad who are being held in questionable circumstances.
ReplyDeleteThe US has a right to retain him and seek as much information as possible to deter future attacks.
He was fifteen at the time, we are now some six years later. Surely any legitimate questions were answered years ago, and it is unlikely that he has any other useful information.
The liberals are engaging in a shameless political game on the back of this young person.
The US is subjecting Khadr to a "legal process" that has repeatedly been struck down by the US judiciary every step of the way. It is a system that ignores the fundamental principles of habeas corpus and the right not to incriminate yourself. It is a system that will accept as valid evidence confessions made under duress.
The problem here is not what Omar Khadr did or did not do at the age of fifteen, but rather what has been done to a Canadian citizen at the hands of a foreign power.
The HarperCon$ have been deliberately negligent in this case and other similar cases until public outrage forces them to move.
Anon - I blame the Liberals and the Conservatives in this case. The Liberals were wrong on Khadr and so are the Conservatives...but now we know so much more that the Liberals did.
ReplyDeleteWe know he was tortured. We know he has been denied fundamnetal human rights and protections of the rule of law in the military tribunal process. We know the US Courts has struck down the GITMO process and justification to deny Geneva Convention protections. We know every other western country have repartiated their nationals out of GITMO except Canada. WHY?
I was born here and that was a happy accident that I had nothing to do with but it sure is "convenient." Citizenship by marriage can be a convience arrangement but that can not be said for a child immigrant.
To base a conclusion about if Khadr should be detained and denied the protections of the rule of law because "you understand" he returned to fight after his wounds healed ignores the fact he was a 15year old child at the time.
I sure hope I never get picked up at an American airport and get sent to Syria for processing like Maher Arar. My government is there to protect my rights as a citizen regardless of my circumstances.
We need to be able to respect and trust our government - not fear it.
Bush has been there to protect the world and has ushered in a new era of freedom and democracy in the middle east.
ReplyDeleteKen, thank you for adding your voice to the many advocating for Omar Khadr to be returned to Canada. I have been appalled at the number of 'ignorant' comments about this issue in every forum and media...and by ignorant, I mean ill informed.
ReplyDeleteOmar was born in Canada and removed by his parents. He didn't choose to move to the middle east and he didn't choose to remain there when hostilities erupted. If people will just think for a moment - how much 'choice' did you have about where and how you lived as a child?
I am ashamed of both the Conservative and Liberal governments and am frustrated that people keep trying to make the protection of fundamental rights (that's ALL of our rights) a left versus right issue.