President Obama,
I have tried to believe in you. I have tried to believe in your good heart. I believed in you when you said that we needed to `make you.`
But tonight my heart is completely shattered.
You are allowing your military prosecutors to argue that evidence that the Supreme Court of Canada found was obtained contrary to Canada`s human rights obligations be allowed.
This Court declares that through the conduct of Canadian officials in the course of interrogations in 2003-2004, as established on the evidence before us, Canada actively participated in a process contrary to Canada’s international human rights obligations and contributed to Mr. Khadr’s ongoing detention so as to deprive him of his right to liberty and security of the person guaranteed by s. 7 of the Charter, contrary to the principles of fundamental justice. Costs are awarded to Mr. Khadr.
Your officials, which include the Secretary of State, given that the request was in a diplomatic note, denied our request that you not further violate Omar`s fundamental rights as found by our Supreme Court, the highest court in our country.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/...
Meanwhile, it emerged that information extracted by Canadian spies who interrogated Mr. Khadr in Guantanamo may be used against him, despite Ottawa's belated efforts to have it suppressed.
The Obama administration has rejected Ottawa's request to suppress information that Canadian Security and Intelligence Service agents and Foreign Affairs officials elicited from Mr. Khadr during interrogations in 2003 and 2004.
Nathan Whitling, one of Mr. Khadr's Canadian lawyers who argued his case before Canada's Supreme Court, said the "U.S. refusal of Canada's request confirms its status as an outlaw among the community of nations."
After the Canadian Supreme Court ruling that successive Canadian governments had failed to safeguard Mr. Khadr's rights, the Harper government – in a formal diplomatic note – pleaded with the Obama administration to block use of the information furnished by the Canadian agents to their U.S. counterparts.
In its written response, the U.S. government declined, saying it was up to the military judge to decide what evidence he allowed.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/...
In its written response, the U.S. government declined, saying it was up to the military judge to decide what evidence he allowed.
"Relevant safeguards include the exclusion of all statements obtained by torture or cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment,’’ said the U.S. reply, although there was no suggestion that the CSIS interrogations fell into those categories. The response was also given to Mr. Khadr's defence team.
We are supposed to be allies. We are supposed to be neighbours and friends and siblings of a common mother.
This Canadian, this widow of an AMERICAN Vietnam vet who survived torture, is deeply hurt and outraged that you have treated our court so cavalierly, that you have treated Canada with such contempt.
I am mistified and heartbroken that you, as a father, as a human being, do not see that what you are doing to young man who was a child when he was first captured and tortured almost eight years ago. He was a child.
Sad beyond words,
Standing for justice and accountability,
For Dan,
and as a Canadian,
Heather