Omar Khadr Says “Hopeless Choice” Forced Guilty Plea

Omar Khadr, born in Toronto September 19, 1986. Is a Canadian convicted of five charges under the United States Military Commissions Act of 2009 including murder in violation of the law of war and providing material support for terrorism, by a Guantanamo military commission tribunal. A venue reserved for non-American enemy combatants captured in the War on Terror. In October 2010 he plead guilty to the five charges against him as part of a plea agreement with military commission prosecutors. He was captured on July 27, 2002 by American forces at the age of 15 following a four-hour firefight in the village of Ayub Kheyl, Afghanistan.

Khadr spent 7 years in Guantanamo Bay, before being repatriated to Canada On September 29, 2012.

In a affidavit filed Friday (for a $20 million lawsuit filed by Khadr) Omar Khadr states:

“I was left with a hopeless choice,”

“If I wanted the chance to eventually return to my home of Canada, I would have to be found guilty of crimes as determined by the U.S. government, which could then lead to me serving my sentence in Canada.”

Khadr says he would have faced the possibility of life-long detention and continued abuse and torture at Guantanamo Bay. If he had not signed the agreement. (watch video of Khadr being interviewed by CSIS in Guantanamo Bay, below)

Abuse and torture in Guantanamo Bay have been well documented, and even a panel of medical experts have now spoke out about the abuses recently.

““A panel of medical and legal experts has alleged that doctors and psychologists working in U.S. detention centres such as Camp X-Ray in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, were asked to participate in intelligence gathering and security practices that violated the health profession’s ethical principles and duty to do no harm.”
Source

At the time of the firefight Khadr was only 15 years old. Under international law he would be considered a child soldier (if the American governments version of events is true), and child soldiers are protected from being tried for war crimes. This is the first time in history that a child soldier has been tried in military court.

Picture yourself spending that long in a detention center, that is well known for torturing detainees (at such a young age). Then being told plead guilty and you can go back to your own country. Or do not, and possibly be detained in Guantanamo for the rest of your life. How many of you could say you would not take the deal?

Many have been calling for justice in this case and I hope justice finally gets served.