Letter to Harper
To the Gulf Island Driftwood,
Prime Minister Stephen Harper,
Victoria Times Colonist
CBC Television
David Berner’s Blog
I have just finished watching the CBC documentary of the upcoming trial of Omar Khadr, a child soldier and Canadian citizen, who is to be prosecuted by the U.S. Army Justice Department at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, in November for an incident that occurred when he was 15 years old.
It is obvious from the details presented that the US Army has a vested interest in the outcome of this trial. These details include evidence of torture during interrogation, as well as re-writing the reports of US officers who were present at the incident in Afghanistan. In View of this, it is blatantly obvious that in this case, US Army justice is no justice at all. But what is astounding to me is the fact that in six years the Canadian government has not intervened on behalf of this underage Canadian citizen. In fact, our Prime Minister, Stephen Harper, has allowed this travesty of justice to proceed contrary to the actions of all other foreign governments in similar circumstances. The only Canadian contact I can confirm was a taped interview with Khadr by two unnamed Canadians, the outcome of which obviously did nothing but increase the accused’s feelings of hopelessness.
In conclusion, I believe this is a shameful precedent that could put all Canadians abroad in jeopardy. I hope it is not too late to take remedial action!
Sincerely,
A.G. Geoff Cue
480 Vesuvius Bay Road
Salt Spring Island, B.C. V8K 1K7
