With his trial date looming on August 10th, Omar Khadr attempted to take the only action he can to protest his fate in the court room of “Camp Justice” in Guantánamo: fire his US lawyers (2 civilian, 1 military). In keeping with the travesty that is the military commission trials, even that is beyond his control. The presiding judge ruled today that he must retain his US military counsel. To his credit, the military lawyer in question, Lieutenant-Colonel Jon Jackson, has requested time to consult the Arkansas Bar Association about the ethics of representing a client against his wishes.
Up until now. Omar Khadr has said very little in court proceedings. This was Omar Khadr’s 12 July 2010 statement to the court:
Your honour I’m boycotting this Military Commission because *Firstly the unfairness and unjustice of it. I say this because not one of the lawyers I’ve had, or human rights organizations, or any person, every say that this commission is fair or looking for justice, but on the contrary they say it’s unfair and unjust and that it has been constructed to convict detainees, not to find the truth (so how can I ask for justice from a process that does not have it or offer it) and to accomplish political and public goals. And what I mean is when I was offered a plea bargain it was up to 30 years which I was going to spend only five years so I asked why the 30 years. I was told it makes the U.S. government look good in the public’s eyes and other political causes.
* Secondly: The unfairness of the rules that will make a person so depressed that he will admit to allegations made upon him or take a plea offer that will satisfy the U.S. government and get him the least sentence possible and legitimize this sham process.
Therefore, I will not willingly let the U.S. government use me to fulfill its goal. I have been used to many times when I was a child and that’s I’m here taking blame and paying for things I didn’t have a choice in doing but was told to do by elders.
* Lastly I will not take any plea offer or because it will give excuse for the government for torturing and abusing me when I was a child.
Amnesty International continues to call for Omar Khadr to receive a fair trial in a US civilian court or be repatriated to Canada.
Omar Khadr’s handwritten statement | Take Action: Write to US President Obama and Canadian PM Harper
