OMAR KHADR

Omar Khadr

Omar Khadr

Omar Khadr is the Canadian citizen born in Ottawa, Ontario in 1986. Omar has been in custody of United States Department of Defense since he was 15 and has been detained at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba since he was 16 years old. The United States alleges that Omar's father took him to meet Al-Qaeda leaders when Omar was ten years old, that he received military training, and fought in Afghanistan. (Smith 2000)

In July 2002, Omar was captured by U.S. military after its forces bombed and assaulted compound in which he was living. The U.S. raid and subsequent firefight resulted in death of the U.S. soldier and Omar being harshly wounded. Thereafter, he was detained at Bagram Air groundwork and was subjected to cruel, inhuman, and degrading remedy and torture. At age of 16, Omar was sent to U.S. detention facility in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba. (Farah 2002)

While detained, Omar was subjected to excessively harsh interrogation methods in violation of international law, including: shackling in painful stress positions for hours on end; beatings by guards; express threats of rendition to third countries for purposes of torture; solitary confinement for lengthy periods; and confinement in extremely cold cells. While other minors at Guantánamo were segregated from adult population and ultimately repatriated, Omar has never received any age-appropriate treatment. In nearly five years of imprisonment, Omar has only once been permitted contact with his family. (Smith 2000)

In November 2004, pursuant to an Executive Order establishing military commissions, U.S. government charged Omar with murder, attempted murder, conspiracy, and aiding enemy. The U.S. Supreme Court subsequently invalidated military commissions system as contrary to U.S. law and Geneva Conventions. In February of 2007 Omar was recharged under new system established by Military Commissions Act of 2006 (MCA). On June 4, 2007, those new charges were dismissed. ...