Canadian citizen Omar Khadr was transferred to Canada from Guantánamo Bay early Sept. 30 to serve out the rest of his prison sentence under the authority of the Correctional Service of Canada. Khadr pleaded guilty to murdering US Sergeant First Class Christoper Speer, an Army medic, as well as charges of conspiracy and spying, material support of a terrorist group and attempted murder. He was originally sentenced to eight years in 2010 on top of the eight years he had already spent in prison. The rest of his sentence and future parole hearings, however, will now be handled by Canadian authorities according to Canadian law.
The US delivered Khadr’s papers to Canada earlier this month while it was considering the possibility of transferring him. UN officials called for the transfer of Khadr in July after his lawyers renewed his transfer request the previous month. He made a formal request to the Canadian government in April after being approved for transfer by the US government. He made a claim in 2010 that his confession to charges against him was a product of torture, but those claims were rejected by a military judge. Khadr, 26, was the youngest prisoner to be held at Guantánamo Bay.
From Jurist, Sept. 30. Used with permission.
Amnesty International statement on Omar Khadr transfer
Suzanne Nossel, Amnesty International USA‘s executive director, issued the following response to reports that the US has repatriated Guantánamo Bay detainee Omar Khadr to Canada:
We welcome the calls to investigate Khadr’s torture claims and close Guatnánamo, but we question use of the word “rehabilitation,” which seems to assume Khadr’s guilt—despite the torture claims.