By David Ljunggren
TOKYO (Reuters) - Prime Minister Stephen Harper on Thursday brushed off evidence that U.S. interrogators had abused a Canadian terrorism suspect in Guantanamo Bay, saying the man's trial should go ahead anyway.
An official document released in Ottawa on Wednesday showed U.S. authorities told a Canadian investigator in 2004 that they had deprived Omar Khadr of uninterrupted sleep.
Khadr, 21, is the only Western prisoner still held at the prison at the U.S. naval base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
He faces charges of throwing a grenade that killed an American medic and wounded another soldier during a fight at an al Qaeda compound in Afghanistan in 2002 when he was 15.
Harper -- who regularly criticizes other nations for abusing human rights -- has ignored pleas to intervene in Khadr's case, saying the man faces serious charges.
Critics of Khadr's treatment say he is a child soldier who should be rehabilitated rather than punished.
Harper, in Japan on an official visit, did not respond directly when reporters pressed him about the document.
"We always act as a government on the basis of our legal advice and our legal obligations. The previous government took all of the information into account when they made their decision on how to proceed with the Khadr case," he said.
Asked again to respond to the details of how Khadr had been treated, Harper replied: "Frankly, there is not a real alternative to this legal process now to probe the truth concerning these accusations (of killing the medic). We think this legal process should go ahead."
At the time of Khadr's arrest, the Liberals were in power in Canada. They were replaced by Harper's Conservatives after a January 2006 election.
The official document showed Khadr, then a teenager, had been put into a "frequent-flyer program" in which he was moved every three hours to make him more amenable to talking.
A Canadian judge last month ordered the release of the document, saying the measures taken by U.S. authorities violated international human rights law.
Ottawa tried to deny Khadr's attorneys access to the document on the grounds the information was given to Canada in confidence and its disclosure would hurt U.S.-Canada ties.
Khadr alleges U.S. interrogators repeatedly threatened to rape him or send him to another country to be raped.
Harper said Canada had repeatedly sought and received reassurances that Khadr was being treated fairly.
(Reporting by David Ljunggren; Editing by David Fox)
5 comments:
Thanks for giving me the headline there.
However, I do feel that a full 100 million dollar public inquiry is needed and have Chretien and Martin take the stand. Harper should also take the stand to testify as to what he knew.
The libranos own this issue however, as these documents prove. It was in 2003 and 2004 when these documents were made.
I also think that picture of Omar Khadr is outdated.
Probably by about 6 or 7 years.
The news a while ago reported that Omar Khadar may not even be a legitimate Canadian citizen and was here under "false pretenses". I think that should be checked out before we go getting to carried away with his defence!
If he's illegal we shouldn't be defending at our expense.
There is no legal process for us to have a trial for a murder that happened in Afghanistan in Canada. We do not ask for the repatriation of Canadians indicted for murder in the US either. Khadr is on trial for Murdering a medic.
If this act took place in Canada he would be tried as an adult. So the child issue is irrelevent.
It is not our place to question the Us legal justice system that isin place in Guantanamo. us courts are already doing that.
It was appropriate for oour courts to examine the behaviour of Canadian consular officials when they were with Mr Khadr, absolutely. That is covered under the Charter.
However, Candians need to realize that Canadian citizenship is not a get our of jail free card in other jurisdictions, Mexico for example. Nor does our legal justice or policing systems apply in other jurisdictions.
Canadians who send their children to Saudi Arabia, need to understand that beheading is a punishment for crimes there and their children could be subject to this punishment.
Unlike Canadian tourists on holiday in Mexico or Canadian students in Saudi Arabia, the Khadrs went to Afghanistan for the express purpose of killing allied soldiers, including Candians.
He is now subject to either Afghan law, or Us law since he killed a US soldier and was captured by the US. He is not covered under the geneva convention because he is not Afghani. he isnot a child soldier because he is not Afghani. He is a traitor a mercenary and an accused first degree murderer.
As I have said, he would be tried as an adult here, and he is better off in Guantanamoo than in an Afghan prison or a US super max.
We have no jurisdiction to demand his return before the end of his murder trial and the Charter doesn't apply. Even if it did it wouldn't change much. He would be held in jail forever, here, in the Us or Afghanistan.
In my opinion he should be in an Afghan prison and subject to Afghan justice, but we don't have any right or obligation to demand anything for him other than consular access.
That's a lot of bunk you just posted Anonymous.. I'm surprised Mr Morton hasnt commented on every one of those falsehoods.
As for Johnathon, he's a troll, and a bigoted one at that. I wouldn't waste your time with him Mr. Morton.. I'd be baning him and deleting his posts if I were you.
Scott, Thanks for the post but, unless the posts are sexual or threaten immediate violence, everybody gets to post. I don't respond to every post because, candidly, I don't have time. Cheers!
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