 A lawyer for a Canadian-born teenage terror suspect captured in Afghanistan, held at Guantanamo Bay and accused of killing a US soldier, demanded action from Canada on the case on Tuesday. Omar Ahmed Khadr, 19, was charged Monday with murder, attempted murder, conspiracy and aiding the enemy and could face the death penalty if convicted by one of the Pentagonâs special military commissions. âIt seems to me, the Canadian government hasnât done everything it needs to in terms of the basic protection of one of its citizens,â US-based lawyer Muneer Ahmed told AFP.
| Seems to me the kid ran off to fight jihad with Pop and now he doesn't want to take the consequences. |
âWhat is their position as to the fairness or unfairness of the military commission process?â he said, referring to arrangements by US authorities to try âenemy combatantsâ they deem not covered by the Geneva Conventions. | Their position is that they are anti-US, but they're not so stupid as to openly defend someone caught committing jihad. Not quite, anyway .... |
âThey are in as good a position as anyone else to make a determination based on their understanding of fairness and due process as to whether the military commission process meets those basic standards.â Ahmed challenged the Canadian government to say whether it believed the US tribunal system, which have been pilloried by human rights groups, was âfair.â
| He'd much rather be tried under shariah, of course, since murdering an infidel isn't a crime... |
In Ottawa, Dan McTeague, parliamentary secretary responsible for Canadians abroad, responded by defending the conduct of Prime Minister Paul Martinâs government. âThe government of Canada has done a lot in this case, including asking for assurances from the United States that Mr. Khadr, who was a juvenile at the time of his offenses, wonât be subject to the death penalty, and has the benefits of due process,â he said. US officials had not responded but Canada, which first raised the issue in 2003, would continue to press the United States, McTeague said. | Not a problem. The kid turns 21 when???? We can make room at Gitmo that long. |
| We're ignoring you. You've amply demonstrated which side you're on, so butt out of our business. |
Khadr was charged as a long simmering row over the use of military courts reached boiling point, sparking recriminations from President George W. Bushâs opponents in Congress. US Supreme Court said Monday that it would rule on the legality of the special military courts in early 2006, a move which could delay Khadrâs trial. |