Some background on Omar, from CBS:
(CBS) Omar Khadr seems an unlikely poster boy for the war on terror. Khadr is a Canadian citizen, he likes Harry Potter, and he was only 15 years old when he was captured by the U.S. Army in Afghanistan. And that's what makes his case so controversial: his age.
SNIP
The U.S. accuses Omar Khadr of murdering an American soldier, conspiracy, spying and more, all done, they say, when he was just 15 years old. Khadr has been detained in Guantanamo Bay for five years, much of it in a maximum security prison, in a cell with no windows, awaiting a military trial. His lawyers say that due to his age when he was taken prisoner, he should have been considered a child soldier and shouldn't be there at all.
As correspondent Bob Simon reports, Omar Khadr is the only person in modern history to be charged for war crimes he allegedly committed while a minor.
From the Canadian Press:
The release of the video, expected Tuesday, comes amid fresh accounts of abuse the Canadian teen suffered at the hands of his American captors that appear to have finally touched a public nerve in Canada.
Documents released under Canadian court order last week show the teenager had been subject to sleep deprivation and other abuse to soften him up for interrogation.
A summary of the videotaped interrogations indicates Khadr at times cried uncontrollably. At one point, he took off his shirt to show bullet wounds, one of them still seeping blood.
"I lost my eyes," Khadr is cited as telling his interrogator, an indication that his vision was affected when he was shot.
A ten minute "highlight" portion of the film is scheduled to be released at 5:00 AM Tuesday, with the entire 7 1/2 hours of video to be released later in the day. Khadr's attorneys have stated that by releasing the tapes, they are seeking to stir public outcry and pressure on the Canadian Prime Minister, Stephen Harper, to demand the US release Omar back to Canada. So far, Harper has refused to intervene on Khadr's behalf.
Omar Khadr, at the time of his capture, aged 15:
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UPDATE: THE FULL 7.5 HOURS OF KHADR'S INTERROGATION VIDEOS HAVE BEEN RELEASED.
THEY ARE ONLINE HERE. |
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