Khadr wins taste of freedom
Release cheered, but victim calls it ‘appalling’ move
Hours after an Alberta judge granted bail Friday to former Guantanamo Bay inmate Omar Khadr, one of his victims said the ruling showed an “appalling lack of responsibility.”
“People who have demonstrated their ability to damage our country significantly … and who have shown no ability or willingness to change, we would be foolish to turn those people loose on us once again,” said Sgt. Layne Morris, one of the first casualties of the war in Afghanistan as he was struck by fragments from a grenade lobbed by Khadr, then 15.
The grenade also killed combat medic Chris Speer.
Khadr’s release, which is expected to be finalized May 5, will be the 28-year-old’s first taste of freedom in more than 13 years after he was captured by U.S. soldiers.
“Canadians will see and meet a different Omar Khadr than the one wrongly portrayed by the Harper government,” said his lawyer Dennis Edney, who will also host the longtime prisoner at his Edmonton home.
King ’s University, an Edmonton Christian college, has also offered to take Khadr as a mature student.
Across Canada, supporters cheered the pending release of Khadr, whom Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, among others, have long deemed a wrongfully imprisoned “child soldier.”
“Omar is excited to begin a normal life, continue with his studies, explore his new hometown of Edmonton and spend time with friends,” said the group Free Omar Khadr Now.
“We celebrate that Omar is at long last receiving the standard of justice and human rights that are enshrined in Canadian law.”
On Parliament Hill, Green Party leader Elizabeth May reiterated her claim Khadr posed no risk to public safety and said he could “stay with me.”
Born in Toronto but raised largely in Pakistan and Afghanistan, Khadr is the son of Ahmed Khadr, a close associate of al-Qaida founder Osama bin Laden.
In the early days of the U.S. offensive in Afghanistan, Khadr worked as a translator for al-Qaida and helped build roadside bombs to target U.S. convoys.
He was captured after a raid on the Khadr family compound in which he was badly wounded and held for years without trial in the U.S. detention camp at Guantanamo Bay.
In October 2010, Khadr pleaded guilty before a military commission to five war crimes, including murder, for throwing the grenade that killed Speer.
He received a further eight years behind bars, but was allowed to return to Canada to serve out the sentence. He is appealing his conviction, saying he only pleaded guilty to be released from Guantanamo.
In her ruling, Court of Queen’s Bench Justice June Ross said Khadr has a constitutional right to apply for bail as he pursues the appeal.
She accepted evidence he had been a “model prisoner,” had strong community support “and is therefore a low risk to public safety.” Court documents show this view went unchallenged by government sources and Bowden Institution, where Khadr is being held.
Steven Blaney, the federal public safety minister, said in a statement he was “disappointed” with the decision and would appeal.
“Omar Ahmed Khadr pleaded guilty to heinous crimes … we have vigorously defended against any attempt to lessen his punishment for these crimes," he added.
Speer’s widow, Tabitha, requested privacy, but said in a statement, “Chris was a loving husband, father and servant to his country.
“He is remembered fondly and is still a very prominent part of our lives.”
The Speers and Morris are suing Khadr in civil court for more than $45 million.
“We realize there’s probably a very slim chance of ever receiving any compensation,” said their lawyer, Laura Tanner.
She added the case was mainly launched to capture any monetary compensation the Canadian government might award Khadr.
“He’s never publicly stated any remorse for anything he’s done … it’s a principle matter, rather than a money matter.”