Guantanamo Judge Ousted in Case of Canadian Youth
The judge presiding over the Guantanamo prosecution of Canadian youth Omar Khadr has been dismissed from the case.
The judge, Army Col. Peter Brownback, had recently been at odds with prosecutors in the case, Reuters reports.
Earlier this month Brownback ordered prosecutors to turn over key evidence to defense lawyers. He also had complained that he was “badgered and beaten and bruised” by prosecutors who wanted him to set a trial date for Khadr.
Khadr’s lawyer, Navy Lt. Cmdr. William Kuebler, told the publication the timing was suspicious. “Clearly, Brownback was making an effort to make the process at least look a little more fair,” he said.
Kuebler says the firing came without explanation, the Associated Press reports.
A new judge has been appointed to hear the case. Khadr, now 21, was 15 when he was captured in Afghanistan by the United States.
