Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Omar Khadr: Court to decide whether man who was youngest prisoner in Guantanamo Bay should be released

Canadian is challenging conviction in US military tribunal

Justin Carissimo
Tuesday 05 May 2015 20:00 BST
Comments
Reuters
Reuters

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

A court in Canada is expected to announce this week on whether not a former Guantanamo Bay prisoner Omar Khadr should be released on bail.

Court of Appeal Justice Myra Bielby is expected to make her decision on Thursday.

The news emerged after the Canadian government made closing arguments to keep Mr Khadr, 28, behind bars. The federal government said the country's interests would “suffer irreparable harm“ if he was released from prison, causing permanent damages to its international relations.

In 2010, Mr Khadr agreed to a highly controversial plea deal for five war crimes, including the murder of a US soldier when he was only 15-years-old.

The Toronto-native later said that he only accepted the deal to be released from Guantánamo Bay, where he spent a decade facing interrogation, confinement and torture.

Mr Khadr, was once the youngest prisoner at the Guantánamo detention camp, and was granted bail last month by an Alberta court as he appeals an American military convictions.

The alleged incidents occurred in Afghanistan in 2002. After moving back to Pakistan with his family, Mr Khadr began working as a translator in Afghanistan with groups affiliated with al-Qaeda.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in