Omar Khadr framed: doctored evidence revealed

by Aidan Maconachy

Toronto native Omar Khadr was 15 years old when he was arrested at an Al Qaida camp in Afghanistan. He was just a kid - a child soldier under the control of a father-with-a-cause.

Khadr is now 21 and an inmate at the US naval base in Guantanamo Bay. The US government claims he threw a grenade during a fire fight that killed a soldier.

It now turns out that the official documents that describe the alleged grenade incident, had been doctored to suit what Khadr's lawyer calls "the reality that was most convenient to the United States government at that time.” In other words Khadr was framed.

This came to light when the documents changed hands as a result of the discovery process. In the original report dated July 20th,2002, a commander had written that the person who threw the grenade had died. A couple of months later a line was altered. The report then indicated that the grenade thrower had survived.

The judge in the case sided with the defense team and granted Khadr's lawyers access to information that the prosecution had previously refused to hand over.

Harper's lack of action in this case is hardly a surprise. If his henchmen had their way they would probably be happy to throw away the key rather than risk rubbing the Americans the wrong way. The government's non-action has been a disgrace. Canada has refused to seek extradition or repatriation despite appeals from Amnesty International.

Omar Khadr appears to be in good health. His trial is set to begin in May.

About the Author

Freelance artist and writer based in Ontario