Khadr settlement far from unprecedented
U.K., Australia made similar deals
The Canadian government’s breach-of-rights settlement with Omar Khadr is far from unprecedented, but its public apology to the former Guantanamo Bay prisoner sets Canada apart from other countries whose citizens were held at the infamous U.S. prison, an international human rights group said Monday.
The settlement — sources say Khadr was paid $10.5 million — echoes deals reached years ago by the governments of the United Kingdom and Australia, who also spent millions settling lawsuits.
However, Laura Pitter with Human Rights Watch said Canada had gone further than other countries by publicly acknowledging wrongdoing.
“It’s really important that Canada took the additional step of publicly apologizing to him,’’ Pitter said Monday from New York. “Canada’s action here really sets an example.’’
Britain reportedly paid millions to several of its citizens detained at Guantanamo Bay but offered no apologies. One of the highest profile was Moazzam Begg, who along with seven others, had accused the U.K. and its intelligence agencies of complicity in their abduction, mistreatment and interrogation.
In November 2010, the U.K. government announced a settlement with Begg and 15 others, despite insisting British agents had not participated directly in any prisoner abuse. Officially, the settlement was made to avoid publication of sensitive documents related to Britain’s co-operation with the U.S. on the transfer of terror suspects to various secret locations and to Guantanamo.
The British deal was reported to be worth 20 million pounds — about $30 million at the time. Then-justice secretary Kenneth Clarke noted it could have cost taxpayers more than double had it gone to court.
Announcing the Khadr deal on Friday, Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould made a similar observation in light of the government having already spent $5 million defending the litigation.
“I hope Canadians take away two things today: First, our rights are not subject to the whims of the government of the day,’’ Wilson-Raybould said. “Second, there are serious costs when the government violates the rights of its citizens.’’
In a similar case, suspected terrorist Mamdouh Habib reached a confidential settlement with the Australian government in 2010.
Arrested in Pakistan after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the United States and taken to Egypt, where he was tortured for seven months, Habib was transferred to Guantanamo Bay in May 2002. The Americans released him without charge in January 2005.