Lawyer: Ex-Gitmo Detainee Khadr Wants to Be Contributing Member of Society
A Canadian youth who was the youngest detainee at Guantanamo is eager to be a normal, contributing member of society, according to his lawyer.
Omar Khadr was only 15 when he was captured in Afghanistan and accused of throwing a grenade that killed a U.S. soldier. He pleaded guilty in 2010 and was transferred to a prison in on Ontario on Saturday. His lawyer, Brydie Bethell, told the Associated Press her client was “just sparkling” when she visited him over the weekend. She said he has been studying in prison and is committed to his education.
“He’s been dreaming about this moment for 10 years, so it’s profoundly momentous for him,” Bethell told AP.
Khadr has served two years of an eight-year sentence. He will be eligible for parole in 2013, the story says.
Khadr’s father was killed in 2003 by the Pakistani military while he was staying with senior al-Qaida operatives. His mother told the Toronto Star that Canada should restore her son’s rights. “If he’s treated as a criminal, a convicted war criminal, I’m not happy,” Maha Elsamnah told the Star. “I want him to come back as a person who has been abused and misunderstood.”
