Greens demand repatriation for Omar Khadr

OTTAWA – The Green Party is demanding that Prime Minister Stephen Harper take whatever steps necessary to repatriate Omar Khadr, a Canadian and former child soldier held by the United States since 2002. Secret documents made public yesterday show the federal government was aware of shocking mistreatment endured by Mr. Khadr at the Guantamamo Bay prison camp.

“Mr. Harper’s assurances that Omar Khadr is being treated humanely are clearly contradicted by the contents of these documents,” said Green Party leader Elizabeth May. “In fact, Canada has known since 2004 of the inhumane treatment of Mr. Khadr. At the hands of the U. S. military, he was deprived of sleep, moved every three hours to make him more amenable to interrogation and was prevented from reading letters from his family. This treatment is unconscionable.”

Ms. May noted that Canadian courts have ruled the U.S. military violated international laws against torture in its treatment of Mr. Khadr.

“Canada is the only western country that has not sought repatriation for a citizen detained in Guantanamo,” said Ms. May. “The Green Party denounces Mr. Harper’s remarks today in Japan, where he said Canada has ‘no real alternative’ to allowing the U. S. to continue to detain Mr. Khadr.

“The Prime Minister has a very clear choice: he can save Mr. Khadr from future torture by seeking to have him returned to Canada—a request Mr. Khadr’s lawyer believes will be granted. Or, he can put his appalling lack of leadership and compassion on display for all to see by continuing to turn his back on this Canadian citizen and former child soldier, unlawfully detained and treated by a foreign country.

“When I met with Senator John McCain last month, he made it clear that he opposes torture and favours closing Guantanamo Bay,” she said. “Why is our Prime Minister less concerned about torture than the Republican presidential nominee?

Ms. May said the Harper government’s laissez-faire attitude toward Canadians in trouble abroad is deeply troubling.

“How can Canadians feel secure while knowing that if they are ever to encounter trouble in a foreign country, their Prime Minister may or may not care enough to intervene?” she asked. “Mr. Harper’s abandonment of Omar Khadr and his willingness to brush off serious evidence of torture and misinform the Canadian public on this matter is taken very seriously by the Green Party. We condemn Mr. Harper’s failure to protect Mr. Khadr and demand his immediate return to Canada.”